


The Mask

by Witchhag



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fear, Halloween, Hayao Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle, Insecurities, Kiki's delivery service - Freeform, Princess Mononoke - Freeform, Romance, Spirited Away - Freeform, Steven Universe - Freeform, Studio Ghibli, Trick or Treating, amedot - Freeform, halloween party, my neighbor totoro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6712348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witchhag/pseuds/Witchhag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Peridot's first Halloween on Earth and Steven is determined to take her trick or treating with him, Connie, and Amethyst.<br/>Meanwhile, Pearl, Garnet, and Greg all prepare a Halloween party at the barn.<br/>So much can happen in just one night, and two gems soon find themselves overwhelmed by anxiety.<br/>Will fear be the prevailing emotion of this Halloween night? Or can it help unmask the secrets hiding just below the surface? </p><p>(Story takes place during Peridot's first year on Earth. In my head, this happens after the cluster is taken care of and the gem's all have some time to relax during the fall season.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When lightning strikes

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter takes us along for the journey as four friends begin their Halloween night.

"I can't wait until we get to Connie's house! She's going to flip when she see's how my costume came out!" Steven shouted gleefully as he walked along the crowded sidewalk. Amethyst and Peridot followed behind him. It was Halloween evening, the three friends were on their way to meet Connie so that they could all go trick or treating together.

  
This Halloween Steven and Connie planned their costumes ahead of time, basing them off of their favorite Studio Ghibli characters. Steven had spent nearly 6 weeks working on his costume, with the help from The Crystal Gems, of course. The two friends had made an agreement that they would wait until Halloween night to reveal them to one another.

The air outside was crisp. The autumn leaves adorned the trees like ornaments celebrating the changing season. Every different colored leaf signified a mark of change, a constant theme that Peridot recognized on planet earth. "Are we there yet?" Amethyst asked.

"Not yet! But we're close. Just a couple more blocks." Steven told her.  
He was so excited for the night to begin. They were going to have so much fun, he thought. He was especially excited to introduce Peridot to the holiday. Peridot took some convincing, but Steven was eventually able to persuade her to join him and Connie.

Once Amethyst had heard that Peridot would be joining them, she became a willing participant as well. Amethyst had celebrated once or twice with Steven, but she'd never worn a costume before, not until that night.  
Steven could remember explaining everything that there was to know about Halloween to Peridot. Her questions just never seemed to end. Where one answer was planted, another question grew.

  
What interested Steven and Connie in the holiday was the opportunity to dress up, get free candy, and enjoy themselves. But Peridot didn't exactly share those same interests. She had no desire to dress up, nor did she think that she would like candy and the idea of a night dedicated to getting frightened didn't seem to make things anymore appealing.This prompted Steven to frame trick or treating as a tradition, something for Peridot to take part in to better understand earth customs. This perspective actually intrigued Peridot, so much so that she allowed Steven and Connie to pick out a costume for her.

"We're here!" Steven announced. The friends all stood on the small porch of the Maheswaran household. The porch was lit up with small Jack-o-lanterns, carved by Connie herself.  
Steven rang the doorbell. "Finally." Amethyst groaned. Peridot had stayed the silent observer for most of the trip to Connie's. She tried to take in as much of the fall scenery as she could from her limited perception. "What's taking her so long? We gotta get going before all the good candy gets got!" Amethyst started to become impatient.  
Steven rang the doorbell once more. He leaned in and put his ear against the door. He could hear someone running down the stairs. "I'm coming!!" a voice sang.

The door swung open. "I'm here!" Connie sang out. Steven's eyes lit up at the sight of his friend's handcrafted costume. Connie had chosen to dress up as Princess Mononoke from one of Hayao Miyazaki's early films. From the hand made bone necklace, to the red face paint, Connie's costume was replicated perfectly. Every little detail had been paid attention to.  
"Connie!" Steven called out. "You look AMAZING!" There were stars in his eyes.

"Me? What about YOU!" Connie shouted. She stood stunned at Steven's ensemble.  
Steven enlisted the gem's help to turn him into Haku from Spirited Away, one of his and Connie's favorite films. The costume would have been simple enough, only he wanted to go as Haku in his dragon form. It took weeks of designing, sewing, and engineering but thanks to the combined efforts of him and his friends, he was unmistakenly the famous white dragon.  
"Look at your scales!" Connie shouted. Each scale was meticulously placed and hand sewn on by Pearl.  
"Look at your mask! Did you make it yourself?" Steven inquired.  
"Yup!" Connie answered proudly. The mask was made of out paper mache and painted with acrylic paint to help make it look as authentic as possible.  
"Wow! I love your fur coat..is that real fur?" Steven felt the white fur that was wrapped around Connie's shoulders.  
"No, it's faux. Can't be cruel to the animals, ya know?" Connie said.  
The two exchanged one final glance at each other's costumes.

"We look amazing!" Steven and Connie shouted at one another. Their compliments soon turned into pure unbridled laughter. "Hey! What about me?" Amethyst called out.  
Amethyst decided to go as one of the most popular characters, Totoro.  
"Well? Do I look great or what?" Amethyst asked. She stood next to Peridot displaying herself in her costume. "Oh wow, Amethyst! You look fantastic. Did you make that yourself?" Connie asked.  
"Uh, well I was going to buuuuut, Pearl really wanted to so I let her." Amethyst had originally insisted on making the costume herself, but after a bit of a mishap with the sewing machine, she gave the costume to Pearl to finish.  
"Amethyst sewed her fingers to the fabric," Steven said.  
Connie looked mortified. "Hey! I tried okay, what do you want from me?" Amethyst muttered. Connie placed her hand on her shoulder. "Well, you look great, Amethyst! It's perfect. Totoro's such a sweet and fun loving character!"  
"If those ain't the perfect words to describe me, I don't know what are!" Amethyst smirked.  
"What about Peridot? Don't forget, she dressed up too!" Steven said. "Oh, of course! How could I forget? Peridot you look so great. It really suits you, don't you think, Steven?" Connie asked.

The friends eyes all panned over to Peridot who stood stoically in her small black cat costume. Weeks prior to Halloween night, during a brainstorming session between Steven and Connie, they decided that they wanted to choose a costume for Peridot that would match the theme of theirs and Amethysts. Peridot's one request was that the costume to be both practical, and comfortable. After a bit more thought, the two friends came up with what seemed like the perfect idea. They chose to dress her up as the character JiJi from KiKi's delivery service. Not only would it be easy for Peridot to get around in, but both Steven and Connie agreed that out of any of the other characters they could think of, a cat seemed to match Peridot's personality best.

"If by "It suits you" you mean it does an adequate job at clinging to my body and extremities then sure. It suits me just fine." Peridot said.  
Amethyst snickered. "Aw, come on, Purry!" Amethyst said as she smacked Peridots back. "You look purrfect!"  
Peridot groaned. "What time are these festivities you described being put on?" Peridot asked. She looked to Steven for an answer. "Pretty soon actually. We should probably go." Steven said, he turned to Connie. "Are you about ready?" he asked.  
"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. Amethyst, my mom wants to talk to you before we go!" Connie said. "Mooooooom! Steven's here to take me trick or treating!" Connie called into the house.

Mrs. Maheswaran walked to the front of the porch. "Hello, Steven Universe."  
"Hi, Mrs. Maheswaran. How are you?" Steven greeted her respectfully.  
"I'm well, thank you. I see you're ready for Halloween." Mrs. Maheswaren said, looking down at Steven's costume.  
"We sure are!" Steven smiled.  
"Mom, Amethyst is here to talk to you." Connie pointed towards the purple gem in her furry gray costume.  
"Oh, good!" Mrs. Maheswaran stepped down from the porch and walked towards Amethyst.  
"Now Amethyst, I know that we spoke on the phone but I just wanted to check in with you before you left to take these two trick or treating. A parent's presence is very important during these sorts of activities. You never know what sort of people are lurking about."  
Amethyst nodded. "Yeah, tell me about it. There are some real weirdos out there." Amethyst raised an eyebrow and sent a wink in Peridots direction.

"Oh, who's this?" Mrs. Maheswaran asked. She was referencing Peridot, who was trying her best not to involve herself in whatever the two of them were discussing.  
"Oh! That's Peridot. She lives with me and the rest of The Gem's at my house." Steven explained.  
"Nice to meet you, Peridot. I'm Dr. Maheswaran, Connie's mother," she said. She reached out her hand for Peridot to shake. Peridot eyes shifted up and down from the doctor's hand to her face.  
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Peridot said, grasping the Doctors hand.  
"Fresh." Amethyst joked.  
Once Mrs. Maheswaran was finished introducing herself, she turned back to Amethyst.

"So, as I was saying, thank you for offering to take them. I would have done it myself but I'm busy working at the hospital tonight. " Connie's mother explained.  
"It's no biggie! I'll have her back before you know it, after the party of course." Amethyst told the woman. Mrs. Maheswaran felt a wave of panic flood over her.  
"Party? You never said anything about a party before, Connie!" She turned back to face her daughter.  
"Oh! It's just a small get together at Steven's house. I thought I mentioned it." 

  
Amethyst looked over at Connie, who looked rather embarrassed. She felt a sudden urge to interject.  
"Don't worry! After it's over, she'll be back at home safe and sound. You can count on me!" Amethyst grinned.  
Connie's mother took a deep breath. "Thank you, Amethyst. I believe you." She said. Connie's mother had been trying to be less overprotective since Connie was finally honest about her relationship with Steven and The Crystal Gems. However, like all mothers, she still had to know where her child was and to make sure that she was safe.  
Mrs. Maheswaran walked back to the porch where Connie stood in her costume.  
Connie stared up at her mother's face, unable to read her emotions.  
Connie's mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "You really do look great," she said.  
Connie smiled, she wrapped her arms around her mom's waist. "I couldn't have finished it without your help!" Connie said. Mrs. Maheswaran hugged her daughter tight.  
"Have fun tonight, Connie. Just..stay safe. Okay?" she asked.  
Connie nodded. "I promise. I'll see you later, mom."  
As hard as it was for her, Mrs. Maheswaran let Connie go.  
She waved goodbye and closed the door behind her.  
  
As the four friends left the Maheswaran household, they saw the once gray sky begin to fill with color. The sun was setting which meant Halloween night had begun, and they were on their way to celebrate it. "Well?" Steven asked. He looked to Connie who walked beside him. "Well?" she answered curiously. "Are you all ready to have a spooktacular time?!" Steven shouted. Connie giggled. "Sure am! I've got my bucket and it's ready for some goodies!" Connie said, her eyes were filled with want and determination.

"What about you, Peridot? Are you ready to fill up your basket?" Amethyst asked.  
The two gems walked side by side, just a few steps in front of Steven and Connie.  
Peridot looked down at the small wicker basket she held to her side.  
"Fill it up? Oh- you mean with those sugar filled foods wrapped in foil?" Peridot inquired.  
"That's them!" Amethyst replied.  
Peridot scoffed. "Why would I be? I have no plans to ingest any of its contents once I obtain them." Peridot told her.  
"What're you gonna do with all the candy you get then?" Amethyst asked.  
"I'm not sure. I suppose I'll just dispose of them once we get to a nearby waste disposal." Peridot shrugged. Amethyst stopped her in her tracks. "You're just gonna throw them away?!" she shrieked.  
"What's going on you two? Why are you yelling, Amethyst?" Steven asked as he and Connie approached the two gems.  
"Peridot says she's going to throw out all the candy that she gets tonight." Amethyst explained. She was absolutely outraged. Visions of Peridot discarding her candy struck Amethyst, bringing her more distress.  
"Whaaaat?!" Steven gasped.  
"But Peridot, that's one of the biggest points of trick or treating!" Connie said.  
"Yes well-" Peridot stammered.  
"It's THEE point." Amethyst huffed. "Have you ever even had candy before, Peridot?" she asked.  
"No," Peridot responded bluntly.  
"Oh my gosh! You have to keep it then. As soon as we get to the first house, you're trying some." Amethyst said, and with that, it was decided.

"Speaking of which...Looks like we've arrived! Let's go and loot the place!" Amethyst laughed.  
Peridot looked over at the house that Amethyst was referring to. It was a small green one story home with brick pavement the lead you to the front of the house. There were bright orange lights hung along the railings, all of them glaring out at Peridot.  
"C'mon Peri! What're you waiting for?" Amethyst asked. She grabbed Peridot's hand and carried her to the front door. Steven and Connie followed happily behind.

  
The front door of the house was covered in what appeared to be artificial cobwebs with a large fake spider smack dab in the middle. Peridot felt a sense of unease come over her.  
"Now what?" she asked.  
"Now you just knock on the door," Steven told her.  
"And then?" Peridot asked, suspiciously.  
"And then we all say "Trick or treat!" and they give us our candy," Steven explained.  
"It's really easy, Per." Amethyst said. "I know that!" Peridot shouted defensively. Her cheeks were a deep shade of green. Why was she suddenly so intimidated? she wondered. Steven had explained everything to her already, so why did she need his reassurance? Peridot sighed. "If you want, I can do it with you." Amethyst offered. Peridot turned to Amethyst.  
"Y-you can?" Peridot questioned. A wide grin appeared on Amethysts face.  
"Pfft, yeah! Just tell me when you're ready," she said.  
Peridot could feel Amethysts fingers still wrapped around hers. She squeezed Amethysts hand a little tighter as if to give her the courage that she needed. She reached with her other hand toward the door. Peridot knocked on the cold hardwood twice, her hand quickly retreating to her side.

The friends stood in the silence of the night as they anxiously awaited someone to greet them. Peridot was jolted when she heard a voice cry out from behind the door "Just a second!".  
She tried to regain her composure, as a tickled Amethyst suppressed a giggle.  
Suddenly, the friends heard rustling inside of the home. The door opened and a woman dressed as a witch appeared in front of them.  
"Trick or treat!" The four friends shouted.  
The woman's face was painted a dark forest green. She had a long prosthetic nose glued onto her face, along with fake eyelashes. She wore a long black dress that went down to her ankles, which revealed her black and white striped stockings, and pointy black boots.  
The woman leaned down and flashed a smile at the friends. "Well, aren't you all just adorable?" she said.

The woman's cheery demeanor did not match her appearance, Peridot thought. The realization relaxed her a bit.  
"What are you all supposed to be?" she asked.  
"I'm The Kohaku dragon!" Steven declared as he took a prideful stance.  
"And I'm Princess Mononoke, protector of the forest!" Connie shouted.  
"And I'm your friendly neighborhood Totoro," Amethyst said.  
"And I'm...A cat." Peridot said dryly.  
The woman let out a hearty laugh.  
"You're also my first trick or treaters tonight! Here, why don't you just grab whatever you like." The woman said as she stretched her arms out to display a large bowl filled with candy.  
"Alriiiight!" Amethyst sang. She let go of Peridots hand and filled hers with the sweets of her choosing.

"What are you supposed to be?" Peridot asked. She squinted her eyes at the woman.  
"I'm a witch!" The woman told her. This didn't seem to make things any clearer for Peridot.  
"Go ahead!" the woman said. Peridot starred blankly at the bowl in front of her.  
"Go on, Peridot! Just take whatever looks good to you." Connie said.  
Peridot hesitantly reached her hand into the bowl and pulled out a small chocolate bar.  
"Aw, you can take more than that if you want!" the woman told her.  
"No thank you, ma'am. I don't know if I'll even want this one." Peridot said. The woman shrugged the curious remark off.  
"Alright then. How about you two?" The woman asked. Amethyst and Peridot stepped out of the way as Connie and Steven selected their candy from the bowl.

The two gems began to walk down the short moonlit path, marked by brick, which leads them back to the sidewalk. "Hey, good job back there." Amethyst said. Peridot looked to Amethyst, there was a smile planted across her face. "I know you were nervous but it wasn't so bad, was it?" Peridot wasn't sure if it were the moon's rays escaping from the clouds that made Amethyst look the way that she did, but there was an enchanting quality that radiated from her, a quality that Peridot could not help but notice. "Anyways, if you do get spooked again, you can hold my hand. You know, if you want." Amethyst said.  
Peridot felt as if a bolt of lightening had just shot through her. "Thanks." was all that she could manage. Amethysts smile grew wider, which just intensified the strange feelings that Peridot was experiencing.

  
Steven and Connie stood with the two gems on the sidewalk outside of the green house.  
"What a great way to start the night!" Steven shouted gleefully.  
He and Connie marveled at their buckets that contained the sweet sugary assorted treats.  
"So, are you ready?" Amethyst asked. She looked down at Peridot, who was still trying to sort out her newfound and rather alarming feelings.  
"Peridot?" Amethyst called.  
"Huh?" Peridot looked back at the purple gem. "Sorry, what did you ask me?"  
"I was just gonna ask if you were ready to try candy for the first time. Ya know since you have some now."  
Peridots eyes panned down to her basket which held her one mini chocolate bar. She pulled the small bar out and began to examine it. "Chocolate. Good choice." Amethyst said.  
Peridots eyes stayed on the bar, it was wrapped in a light gold foil with the words "Choco Nugget" written in red letters across the front. "Oh man! You got a good one too!" Amethyst yelled. "I can't wait for you to gnaw down on that thing!...Say, do you need help, unwrapping it or something?"  
Peridot had gotten lost in thought again.  
"Peri!" Amethyst shouted, startling Peridot. "I can do it!" Peridot yelled. She looked down at the candy bar and began unwrapping the small folds that hid its contents.  
Peridot could feel all eyes on her as she unveiled the choco nugget.

Steven, Connie, and Amethyst all stood in anticipation while Peridot prepared herself.  
She took a deep breath, opened her lips, and ever so slowly brought the bar to her mouth.  
The bar laid delicately and unassumed on her bottom lip waiting to be consumed. Peridots friends all stared intently as Peridot finally, in one foul swoop, bit down on the bar and began to chew.

"Wellllllll?" Amethyst asked.  
  
At long last, Peridot responded with a smile.   
Her friends all gasped and cheered. "See! I knew you'd like it." Amethyst said.  
Peridot nodded her head slowly up and down, her facial expression remained unchanged.  
"Okay now swallow," Amethyst said.  
There was nothing but silence.  
"Peridot? Did you hear Amethyst?" Steven asked. He started to grow concerned.  
"Just swallow, Peridot," Amethyst said.  
Peridots eyes shifted quickly back and forth between the two of them. She couldn't take it anymore, she turned around and spit the chocolate bar out.

"I'm sorry. But I couldn't stand it a moment longer." Peridot said. She stood hunched over as she retched whatever was left of the candy into the bushes nearby.   
"Aw, man! So, you really didn't like it then, huh?" Amethyst asked. She folded her arms rather disgruntled.   
Peridot stood up and wiped her mouth.   
"No no! It wasn't that. The taste was actually somewhat enjoyable. The texture wasn't a terrible experience either. But I REFUSE to shapeshift my body in order to digest anything. That's something that I have no desire to do...Not again." Peridot muttered. "I'm sorry, Amethyst. I tried." she said.  
Amethyst unfolded her arms. "Hey, that's okay. At least you tried." Amethyst said.  
Peridot felt bad at the thought that she had disappointed her friends. She wondered how she could make it better, when suddenly, an idea struck her. "Perhaps...You would like the candy that I collect this evening?" Peridot offered.  
"You'd give me all your candy?" Amethyst asked, her voice filled with speculation.  
"Sure. I'd just throw it out otherwise. It's better if it's of some use to someone." Peridot explained.  
"Wow, that's so cool of you, Peridot! Thanks!" Amethyst said. She wrapped her arms around Peridot and pulled her into a tight hug. Amethyst's touch sent alarm bells all throughout her body. Peridot forced herself to wrap her arms around Amethysts shoulders. "Y-you're welcome." she said. What are these strange feelings? Peridot asked herself. She couldn't seem to place them no matter how hard she tried.

Amethyst released her from their hug.  
"We should get back to trick or treating! Pearl and Garnet are working on the party for us back home!" Steven said.  
"That's right! We still have so many houses to visit. I hear the whole 7th block is giving out full-size candy bars." Connie said.  
"FULL bars?!" Steven's eyes filled with want and determination. "What are we waiting for?" he screamed.  
"Right! Let's get a move on!" Amethyst said.  
Peridot pushed her invasive thoughts and feelings out of her head. "Right!" she nodded.


	2. According to plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet and Pearl finish decorating the barn for the big party while Greg helps set up the edible goods.  
> Once they're all finished, they change into their costumes and get ready to celebrate..there's only one problem, where's Steven?

"Just a little to the left!" Pearl said as she guided Garnet on where to hang the purple streamers. The two were in the barn finishing the decorations for the Halloween party that they were hosting that night. Garnet adjusted the streamers as per Pearl's instructions.

"Perfect! Right there." Pearl said. She stood happily, looking up at the newly decorated ceiling of the barn.  
Garnet unstretched her arms and walked over to Pearl. She placed her hands on her hips and took it all in.  
"Looks good," she said. "What's there left to do?"  
Pearl looked down at her clipboard. "Let's see..."  
She used her index finger to guide her down the list of tasks, just about every one of them had a check mark at the end.  
"We're nearly finished!" She exclaimed. The two had been working since the early afternoon making sure that everything was perfect for Steven's first Halloween party. Even though neither Pearl nor Garnet had much interest in the holiday, they both knew how important it was to Steven, so they volunteered to host it themselves. Little did they know how much work it would be to plan one. Pearl had nearly thrown herself into a panic when she started thinking about all of the ways she would have to prepare for the party. In order to help calm her neuroses, Pearl had made up a detailed list of her and Garnet's duties. Organization seemed to be the key to Pearl's serenity.

-PEARLS CLIPBOARD  
Checklist:   
-Set up tables ✓  
-Put on tablecloths ✓  
-Organize seating ✓  
-Display decorative gourds and pumpkins ✓  
-Set up light fixtures ✓  
-Retrieve bucket for 'bobbing for apples' (?) ✓  
-Retrieve bag of apples ✓  
-Unload stereo ✓  
-Hang balloons, fake cobwebs, and streamers ✓  
-Set tables with food, plates, utensils, and napkins ✓  
-Change into costumes  
-HAVE FUN

"All there's left to do is wait for Greg to get here with the food and we're done!" Pearl said. She was gleaming with pride.  
Back when Pearl and Garnet had first agreed to host the party, it had dawned on them that they hadn't the slightest clue on what they were doing. They had thrown parties before (Steven's birthday being a prime example) but their knowledge on Halloween as a whole was very limited, so it was for this reason that they decided to consult Greg who happily volunteered to help them with anything that they needed.  
Greg informed them of some of the basics like simple party decorations and ways to spook up the barn but the real inspiration behind Pearl's vision came after a long study session between her and a copy of 'Home and Family' magazine. The magazine gave parents tons of "tips and tricks" to create the perfect space for their Halloween shindig. Greg was quickly demoted from informant to snack getter.  
"Isn't it wonderful, Garnet? It looks just like the photo in the article!" Pearl said as she pulled the ripped page with the article out from her clipboard. She held it up to compare the two scenes.

Garnet placed her hand on the small of Pearl's back. "It looks great. Steven's going to love it," she said. Pearls cheeks turned a soft shade of blue as she smiled up at the red gem. "You really think so?" she asked. She became unsure of herself all of sudden as her confidence began to sink down. Garnet gave her a simple nod of approval.

Soon after the two gems were finished with their decorating, they heard the sound of Greg's van as it drove up the muddied path which leads to the barn. Greg stopped the vehicle near the barn's entrance. He unrolled his window and peeked outside. "Hello, Greg. If you could reverse your van near the barn doors, Garnet and I will assist you in unloading the food." Pearl said.  
"You got it!" Greg exclaimed. He gave a playful salute.

Once the van was parked, Greg and the gems began unloading the various trays filled with food.  
Greg carried a tray that was covered in assorted brightly colored cupcakes. "Where should I put this one?" he asked. Pearl took him to the "Sweets table" which she had designed specifically for displaying dessert foods. She also made a "Savory table" for displaying salted foods, and "Drinks table" for displaying beverages.

"Do you think Steven and his guests will really consume all of this?" Pearl asked as she stood in awe at the seemingly infinite amount of food that covered the tables. "Trust me, I know kids. Their appetites are huge. Huge appetite equals huge amounts of food. None of it's going to waste." Greg explained ever so nonchalantly.  
"I suppose," Pearl mumbled, not quite convinced.  
"Don't forget, it isn't just kids coming to the party. Amethyst will be here too." Garnet said assuringly.  
"Now I'm worried that there won't be enough," Pearl said.

"Don't sweat it! If we do run out of anything, I'll just drive to the store and get some more! I'm your man!" Greg said grinning from ear to ear.  
"Yes well- I don't know about that. But we would like to thank you, Greg. You've been very accommodating and Garnet and I appreciate it." Pearl told him.  
Garnet put a hand on one of Greg's shoulders. "We couldn't have done it without you," she said.  
Greg's face lit up. After everything that he and the gems had been through together, he thought perhaps in this moment that the fence dividing them had finally come down.  
"Y-you're welcome!" he blurted out. Pearl looked over to Garnet. "Again, I don't know about that but you were helpful tonight so, thank you, again."  
Greg shook his head. "If you two don't mind, I'm gonna go park the van somewhere a little more convenient."  
"That would be great," Garnet said.  
"Also, when I'm done I was wondering if there's somewhere that I could change into my costume? It's a little difficult to put it on in the van." Greg blushed.  
"Of course. You can change back at the temple if you like." Garnet said.  
"Ohhh! That reminds me. Garnet, you and I both need to change into our costumes as well!" Pearl took to her clipboard. She stared down at the empty box waiting for its checkmark.  
"We should probably change now if we're going to stay on schedule!"   
"Why don't I give you two a ride?" Greg offered.  
Garnet looked to Pearl for an answer. Pearl thought about it for a moment.  
"It would be faster." she admitted.  
"Alright! Let's get goin'!" Greg said. He hopped into the front seat of the van. Garnet and Pearl soon followed and the three all made their way back to the temple.

Pearl and Garnet stood in the living room of their home patiently waiting for Greg to finish putting on his costume. When Greg emerged from the bathroom, he was fully dressed as Freddie Mercury circa 1986.  
Greg had re-created the look that Freddie wore during Queen's Wembley stadium performance, including the iconic yellow leather jacket and loud white pants with the red stripe that went down the sides. He even went as far as to shaving his beard into a mustache to resemble Freddie's. "Well, what do you think? Pretty sweet eh?" He stood proudly in his Halloween getup. It would have been one impressive ensemble if the gems had known who Freddie Mercury was.  
"Your face!" Pearl blurted out. Garnet nudged Pearl with her arm. "I mean- it's very nice," Pearl said. Garnet lifted her hand and gave a supportive thumbs up.  
"Hopefully, Steven gets a kick out of it! What are you two supposed to be?" Greg asked.  
"Well, this year Steven and his friend Connie created a bit of a theme. The rest of us just sort of followed along." Pearl explained. "What was my characters name again, Garnet?"  
"Sophie," Garnet answered.  
"That's right! I'm Sophie. She's a human from one of those animated films Steven likes to watch." Pearl wore a beautiful cerulean colored dress. The dress was victorian inspired and clung to her body perfectly. Along with the dress, Pearl had on small brown ankle boots which peaked out from the white ruffles attached to the slip she wore underneath. To make her outfit complete, Pearl modeled a small round hat made from straw that sat happily atop of her head.

Pearl didn't particularly identify with the character she was cosplaying, but out of many of the character designs Steven had subjected her to, this one seemed like one of the most simple.  
"Oh..you guys had a theme going?" Greg inquired as he scratched the back of his head. He seemed surprised and almost disappointed.  
"We didn't really have a choice in the matter," Garnet said.  
"Well, what about you, Garnet?" Greg asked.  
"I'm an extremely powerful wizard who travels through portals on earth," Garnet told him.  
"So..you're..yourself?" Greg joked.  
"I'm Howl." she replied.  
She wore a pink pastel cape with a geometric purple triangle pattern painted on the front. Besides that, the rest of her costume had been fairly simple; a white flowy top tucked into a pair of high-waisted black pants. The final touches were the small pieces of jewelry that hung from her neck and ears.

All of these costumes had been such a process to create, as Steven insisted that the gems start from scratch and not shapeshift any pieces of their clothing. Of course, all of their hard work would soon be worth it when the party started, Pearl thought.  
"You two look great!" Greg said. "Well, should we head on back to the barn? This party's not gonna start without its hosts."  
"Let's go," Garnet replied.  
The three all took Greg's van back to the barn.  
The sky was completely dark now. The stars twinkled down on the hosts as they wondered when Steven would return home.  
They began to get a bit worried when party guests had started to arrive before the guest of honor.  
"Where's Steven?" Pearl asked. Her eyes shifted around the barn as she noticed a key person missing from the scene.  
"Dunno. Amethyst was supposed to bring him and the others after they'd finished trick or treating." Garnet replied.  
The two turned to Greg, who was instructing a few party guests on how to properly tune an electric guitar. "Greg! Where's Steven? And Amethyst?" Pearl asked.  
"What do you mean? I haven't seen either of them yet. I thought that you two were going to get him and the others while I entertained the partygoers." Greg said.  
A look of utter terror appeared on Pearl's face. "WHAT? So he's still out there trick or treating?!" Pearl flew into a hysteria.  
"Calm down. He's with Amethyst and Peridot." Garnet said as she tried to calm her down.  
"Like that makes it any better! The point is that he's supposed to be here right now! He's missing the party we threw for him."  
"It's okay! I'll just go and get him now. What neighborhood did you say he was trick or treating in?" Greg asked.

Garnet gave Greg the directions to the neighborhood that Steven and the others would be in.  
"You two stay here and entertain the guests," Greg said. So far the only ones at the party were Ronaldo, Lars, and Sadie.  
Pearl and Garnet feared that more people would arrive before Steven and the others did.   
  
As Greg began to walk away from the barn, he could hear the two gems talking.  
"I don't know why we asked Amethyst of all people to do this. She can be so unreliable. We should have just done this ourselves." Pearl said.  
"We couldn't have. We were preparing for the party. Don't make yourself upset. Greg will be back soon." Garnet said.  
Greg furrowed his brow and continued to walk towards his van.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Queen fans out there?  
> I feel like Greg would be a die hard Freddie Mercury fan. Just me?  
> Anyways. This chapter took me forever to get around to posting. More to come!


	3. The name of Brown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie spots a (fake) haunted house and the friends decide to venture inside as a last hurrah to end their night of trick or treating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACT: I wrote the second half of this chapter by candlelight.  
> Okay well not really but there was a candle right next to me when I wrote it. SPoOOky  
> I really wanted this chapter to be the actual Halloween party, but this was kind of necessary for Peridot's development.  
> NEXT chapter IS the party, rest assured.

Steven lugged the heavy bucket filled with candy back down the porch steps. He and his friends had just finished trick or treating at the last house on the block. Connie followed, not far behind, her bucket just as full as his. "Wow! What a goldmine!" Steven shouted.  
"Right?! I can't believe how much candy we got. This is going to last me weeks." Connie said.  
"I don't know about _weeks,_ " Amethyst grinned as she and Peridot joined the two on the sidewalk.

"Well everyone, I think you'll all agree when I say that this has been one successful Halloween evening." Steven declared. He puffed out his chest feeling rather triumphant.  
Connie nodded in agreement. "Whaddya say then, should we head back to the barn to celebrate?" Amethyst asked the group.

"Yes, please!" Peridot groaned. She stood hunched over, her frail arms struggling to carry the basket of candy she held in her hands. Although Peridot had consented to trick or treating, as the evening eventually drew out, she had grown more and more uninterested in the activity.  
Once her initial anxiety had subsided, it became easier, but her curiosity had reached its peak and she was ready to move onto the next source of entertainment, AKA the party.

"Did you want me to take that for you?" Amethyst asked. She looked down at the green gem, who had been dragging her feet for the past three houses. Peridot looked up to a friendly hand reaching out to take her basket. "Oh-sure! It is _yours_ anyway," she replied. She didn't say so but she was relieved to no longer have to tote it around anymore.  
As Peridot passed the basket to Amethyst, she felt their fingers touch just for a moment as they grazed one another. The warm sensation left her with an odd feeling. Almost like a craving. Her thoughts brought her back to the beginning of the night when Amethyst held her hand as they approached their first house. Amethyst had been so patient with her, so accommodating, so brave. All of the things that Peridot admired. She yearned for the comfort that even the slightest touch brought her but was too afraid to reach out herself.  
So instead, she found herself flinching at Amethyst's hand which inadvertently lead her to drop the basket.

"Whoops!" Amethyst said. Peridot stared down at the spilled candy, her face a dark green with embarrassment. "Sorry! I thought that I saw some sort of arachnid on the handle." Peridot scrambled the lie together like she scrambled her words.  
Amethyst snickered. "You're such a scaredy cat, Peri," she said.  
"Get it? Cuz of your costume." The pun wasn't lost on her, but her new found feelings seemed to be. Why was she nervous again? Why did she want to hold Amethysts hand? She didn't have any answers and she didn't understand any of it. Out of everything she had encountered during her time on earth, this seemed to be one of the most perplexing. She decided that later in the night she would have to ask someone, maybe Steven. Surely she wasn't the only one experiencing these thoughts and feelings.

"You two okay?" Steven asked. Amethyst finished shoving all of the candy off of the sidewalk back into the basket. "We're good. We're ready to go!" she said.  
As the group of friends set off, Peridot's thoughts nagged at her. Just walking next to Amethyst seemed to agitate a response. Peridot couldn't take it anymore. She sped up her walking to reach Steven. It was time for an answer.  
"Steven?" Peridot nudged him to get his attention.  
"Oh, hey Peridot! You excited for the Halloween party that Pearl and Garnet are throwing?" he asked her. He was completely oblivious to her internal turmoil.  
"Uh, yeah sure. Listen..I have something to ask you." she said.  
"What is it?" Steven asked.  
Peridot didn't quite know how to respond. She barely knew how to describe the things that she was feeling. Everything was so new and alarming. She let out a discontented sigh.  
"It's difficult to describe. But I think that somethings wrong with me." Peridot said.  
"Wrong with you? What do you mean?" Steven asked, concern for his friend filled his voice.  
"It's just...All night I've been having these _feelings_."  
"Okay...What kind of feelings?" Steven inquired.  
"Ever since the first house that we trick-or-treated at, I've been feeling nervous and apprehensive and..." Peridot stopped mid sentence. She didn't know how to tell Steven that some of the things she was feeling were because of a certain purple gem who just so happened to be trailing a few feet behind her.  
Luckily, Steven interjected before she could make a fool of herself.  
"Oh, you sound anxious. It's probably because of all of the excitement of the night. It can be a little overwhelming." Steven explained.

Peridot thought about it for a brief moment. Steven's reasoning could have certainly explained some of Peridot's feelings, she thought. But did his simple explanation make her understand why she was projecting those feelings onto Amethyst? She wasn't so convinced.  
Nevertheless, she decided to trust Steven and carry on with the night.  
She nodded her head in Steven's direction. "You're probably right," she said.

"You'll feel better once we get to the party. It's gonna be so much fun!" Steven told her.  
Peridot smiled. Steven's positive energy helped perk her up and took her mind off of her anxieties. Maybe it _was_ just because of the unfamiliar Halloween customs, she thought. Just as her mind began to ease, a loud voice rang in her ears.

"HOLD UP!" Connie shouted. Their entire group was at a halt. Peridot's sense of calm completely swept away. "What? What's going o-oh my gosh!" Steven screamed.  
"What's with all the yelling?" Amethyst asked. Steven pointed to the building across the street from them. It was a haunted house covered in elaborate Halloween decorations, including signs that read "Enter at your own risk", flickering lights, and a smoke machine that covered the entire outside of the home with an ominous fog.  
Peridot felt a chill as it traveled down her spine. "What is that?" she asked.  
"It's a haunted house! Oh my gosh- it looks so cool. We HAVE to go in!" Steven said.  
"We do?" Peridot questioned. As Connie and Steven jumped for joy, Peridot felt herself fill with dread. Amethyst put her hand on Peridots shoulder. "No, we don't. We have to get back to the barn." she said. Peridots muscles loosened up as she realized that she wouldn't have to go into the haunted house.  
"Aw, come on, Amethyst!" Steven cried. He and Connie furrowed their brows and plead for Amethyst to let them go inside.  
"YOU come on! Pearl and Garnet are waiting for us." she reminded him. The one responsibility that Pearl bestowed upon her for the evening was to make sure Steven got to his party once they were done trick or treating. Amethyst knew that if she couldn't do that, that Pearl and Garnet wouldn't be happy with her. She couldn't mess this up.

"I know, but it won't take us very long. We'll be in and out before you know it." Steven got on his knees and began to beg. "Pleaseeee?" Connie joined him.

She thought about it for a second, surely one more house couldn't take too long. They came out to trick or treat, after all, Pearl and Garnet would surely understand. Besides, all of the back and forth that they were doing was taking more time than a quick in and out. "Ugh! Fine!" Amethyst groaned.

  
Connie and Steven leaped up from the ground and began to run across the street towards the house. "Thank you, Amethyst!" They sang out.  
To any passersby, their running looked like an impromptu dance routine..a very amateur impromptu dance routine.

"What about you?" Amethyst asked Peridot.  
Peridot looked to Amethyst, she realized that once that Steven and Connie were gone that it would just the two them.  
This realization seemed to frighten her more than the haunted house did.  
"Peridot! Are you coming?" Connie called from across the street.  
"She's feeling a little anxious tonight. I think she's gonna sit this one out." Steven said.  
"It's okay if you don't go in, Peri. Places like that can be pretty scary. Not everyone likes that kind of stuff. " Amethyst was trying to be supportive but Peridot took it as patronizing.  
Amethyst was one of the bravest, strongest people that Peridot knew. She wondered what Amethyst must have thought of her if she couldn't even go into one of these fake haunted houses meant for children. Peridot wasn't sure what had come over her, perhaps it was the fear of being alone with Amethyst that pushed her but she managed to summon enough courage to move her feet in the direction of the house across the street.

 

"You sure you wanna do this?" Amethyst asked her. Peridot nodded. "I do."  
The four friends all entered the yard of the fake haunted house together.  
The yard had been turned into a graveyard covered with headstones that one could see peeking out from the artificial fog.

"You got this," Steven said.  
As Peridot caught a glimpse of the entrance of the house, she began to doubt his words.  
While the outside of the home resembled something of a graveyard, the makeshift door to the home was an open casket that lead you to the entry. The way that the home was set up, it made you believe that by simply going inside you would be signing your own death certificate. She stared at the bleakness of the scene, the neverending darkness inside the home filled her with trepidation towards the unknown.

  
Peridot began to feel her body stiffen up again. Amethyst stood directly behind her, she seemed to be watching Peridot as she mustered up the strength that it took to take her first step towards the door. "We can go back if you want." Amethyst told her.

Peridot peered over her shoulder at the purple gem. There she stood, with a kind smile, just as patient and supportive as before. Peridot decided then that she didn't want to be afraid anymore. She wanted to take control. She wasn't sure if wanting was enough but she knew now how important it was to her to prove, not only to Amethyst and the rest of her friends but also to herself that she could do it.

  
It was then that a determined Peridot walked through the hollow casket and entered the haunted house.

As soon as the friends stepped inside the home, they were greeted by their first ghoul. He was an older gentleman. His hair was gray and stringy. He was dressed in something that used to be a tuxedo. A butler perhaps, or a servant to whoever owned the ghostly home. He seemed to drag his arm as he motioned for the friends to come inside.  
"Welcome to our house." he said as he glared an untrustworthy grin.

  
The entryway was dimly lit; the only light emerging came from a few flickering candles.  
"Our host will be arriving any second." the butler assured the friends. Steven, Connie, Peridot, and Amethyst all huddled together as they waited for the owner of the home to greet them or more than likely spook them.

"Just remember, all of this is fake," Amethyst said.  
Steven and Connie nodded their heads. "Right. Totally fake." Steven said.  
Peridot tried to remember Amethyst's words as the owner of the home entered the room.  
She was a tall lanky woman, covered from head to toe in a black bodycon dress. Even though the room was dark, you could see how pale her skin was by the stark contrast of her vampire red lipstick.

"So, you ignored the signs and came into my home anyway?" the woman asked.  
Before anyone could answer, the woman let out an ear-splitting cackle.  
"I hope you're brave enough for what comes next." the woman said.

  
"Follow me." 

  
The friends all turned to one another, their nerves a bit shook from the unexpected laughter. "What comes next?" Peridot asked.  
"I..don't know," Steven confessed. He was just as frightened and confused as the rest of his friends.  
"Whatever it is, we can handle it," Connie said.  
"Connie's right. We got this. We're a team, right?" Amethyst asked. She shot a look to Peridot, who was starting to question all of the reasons that she decided to go into the house in the first place. A beam of sweat dripped down from Peridot's forehead. "Right, P-dot?" Amethyst asked. Peridot looked to Amethyst. She felt a surge of adrenaline enter her body, but it wasn't fear, it was instinct. She wanted to protect her friends. Whatever came next, she was ready for it. Peridot took a deep breath. "Right." she said.

The woman led the friends into the next room, which was just as dimly lit as the entryway.  
Peridot couldn't make out what the room was before they converted it into the haunted house, but in the center, she could see a long table with a tablecloth draped along the center. The cloth seemed to be covering something up.

"Gather round while I tell you a story." the woman said.

"Once upon a Halloween night  
Living in this spooky town  
Was a man who died of fright  
Bearing the name of Brown.  
Many and many a year has passed  
Since they buried Brown away,  
But his withering corpse we've here amassed  
Dug up from his tomb today!"

The woman quickly pulled the cloth from the table, revealing a plastic skeleton, its arms in the shape of an X across its chest. Connie and Steven both screamed at the sight. Amethyst was taken aback but her face betrayed her shock. Meanwhile, Peridot stared down wide-eyed at the display. She wasn't sure whether to be horrified or amused. All that build up for a plastic skeleton? What other things was this host planning to scare them with, she wondered.

"Are you ready to play the game?" the woman asked.  
She held out a bowl, which she passed first to Steven.  
"Here is his brain, which feels no pain."  
Steven held the small bowl in one hand, the other shaking as he dipped it inside.  
He could feel the cold squishy texture which made his skin crawl.  
Steven passed it around to Connie, who passed it to Amethyst, who finally handed it to Peridot.

"It's pretty gross." Amethyst told Peridot as she handed over the cup full of 'brains'.  
Peridot tentatively reached her hand inside, but what she felt didn't feel like brains, but more like squished vegetables.  
In fact, when she looked down into the bowl, she wasn't surprised to find a chopped tomato.

"Here are his eyes, frozen in surprise."  
The woman passed a small cup to Connie.  
Connie cringed at the touch of the cold small eyeballs.  
The cup eventually made it ways to Peridot, who pulled one of the eyes out to examine it.  
"This is a grape." she whispered to herself.

"One hand all alone, rotting flesh and bone."  
This time, the woman handed the prop to Amethyst who smiled down at the thing in her hand. "Feels kinda cool," Amethyst said as she squeezed the hand. "That's because it's a glove filled with ice," Peridot said dryly.

"All that's left of his skin are these worms within!"  
This time, the woman brought out in a large bowl, filled to the brim with its contents. She handed the bowl over to Peridot, who reached her hand in with no qualms.  
"What do you feel?" the woman asked. "Spaghetti," Peridot said.  
The woman seemed taken aback. "Don't you mean, _worms_?" she asked, giving Peridot a second chance to play along.  
"No. I mean cold cooked pasta with tomato sauce."  
The woman quickly took back the bowl.

"I don't get it. Am I doing this right? I thought this was supposed to be scary." Peridot said.

"Does Brown's story not scare you, little girl?" the woman asked.  
Peridot couldn't help but snicker. "Scare me? Are you joking me?! All you did was give us a bunch of cold food disguised as body parts to play with in cups. What kind of game is this, anyway?"  
Amethyst couldn't help but giggle at Peridot's observations.  
"Now, now, I don't think you'd be so quick to laugh if it were you who died of fright." the woman said. Peridot was getting a real kick out of herself now.  
"Please! I've been to the center of the earth. It's gonna take a little more than cold spaghetti to frighten me."

The woman leaned closer towards the green gem. "Hey kid, come on. The guessing game comes after everyone's finished feeling everything in the cups," she whispered.  
"So, does that mean that I won early?" Peridot asked.  
The woman sighed. The lights turned on and the haunted house was revealed to be nothing but a living room now.

The woman pulled out a large bowl from underneath the table. "Here, take whatever you want," she said. The friends all grinned, and Steven, Connie, and Amethyst dipped their hands inside to pull out a handful of candy.

As the friends all emerged from the haunted house, they heard the large casket door slam behind them. Peridot walked in front of everyone, strutting proudly through what was once a terrifying graveyard, now the road that lead her to victory.

"That was so great!" Amethyst yelled.  
Peridot stopped to look behind her. "What was?" she asked. She didn't dare think that Amethyst would have been referring to her.  
"YOU was! Seriously, you DEMOLISHED that house back there!" Amethyst said.  
"Amethyst is right, you were so brave back there, Peridot," Steven said.  
Peridot felt flushed. She didn't quite know how to respond to her friend's compliments.  
"That really was fantastic, Peridot." Connie concurred.

"I guess it was pretty great," Peridot admitted. She tried to scratch the back of her head but her hood got in the way.  
"Blasted thing." she said as she fumbled with the strings.  
Amethyst approached her to help her untie it. "Lemme help."  
Normally, Peridot would have averted her eyes when Amethyst was this close to her, but this time, it was different. Peridot stared straight at her with little to no fear or embarrassment. 

  
"You guys really think I was that cool?" Peridot asked.  
"Cool is an understatement. You went from Peripuss to Perisaurus rex back there, dude!" Amethyst said. Peridot felt a wide grin appear on her face. This was all coming from one of the strongest and bravest gems that she knew, it meant so much for her to know that Amethyst was proud of her. But even more to herself that she had accomplished what she set out to do.  
  
"Wow, thanks."  
"Oh, it was no problem. You just had a knot in the string." Amethyst said.  
"No, I mean, for calling me cool," Peridot said.  
"Well, you are cool. For a nerd anyways. I'm just tellin' it like it is." Amethyst joked. Peridot stared back at her, her expression unaffected by the humor Amethyst used to mask her insecurities.  
"Seriously," Peridot said. For the first time that night, Peridot had felt confident.  
She had faced her fears in the haunted house, and now she thought that it was time to face her fears with Amethyst.   
"You're welcome," Amethyst said simply. Amethyst felt a blush surface onto her face, which she quickly hid by turning back to Connie and Steven.

"Now, if you all don't mind, we've got a party to get to!" Amethyst declared.  
"Let's go!" Peridot yelled. The friends all stood with their fists in the air ready to celebrate their newly marked triumph.

Just as quickly as the friends had begun walking toward the barn, they were blinded by two headlights traveling in their direction.  
It was Greg in his van. He pulled up next to the sidewalk that Steven and his friends stood on.

"Steven!!" Greg shouted out his window. He was relieved to have finally found his son.  
Steven, on the other hand, was as confused as ever. "Dad? What are you doing here?" he asked.  
"I'm here to pick you up. Pearl and Garnet sent me. They said Amethyst was supposed to bring you home but we all got worried when you never showed up at the party." Greg explained. He opened the side door to the van. "Come on, everyone get inside. We can still make it if I step on it."

The four friends all shuffled inside the van. Steven was in the front seat while he and Greg conversed with one another about their costumes. Meanwhile, Amethyst sat looking rather grim in the backseat. "Uh, are you okay?" Peridot asked her.  
Amethyst let out a sigh. "Not really," she said.  
"What's wrong, Amethyst?" Connie asked.  
"Oh nothing, except Pearl and Garnet are probably furious waiting for me to get home just so they can tell me what a failure I am." Amethyst crossed her arms and pushed her body into her bent knees. The worst part of this realization for Amethyst was that she had tried to get Steven there on time, she was on her way but she wasn't even given a chance to get there.

"I'm sure they don't think you're a failure just because you didn't get us to the party when it started. There's still plenty of time to hang out!" Connie tried to reassure her but it didn't seem to help.  
"Maybe...Ugh. I just can't believe they sent Greg. I just wish that for once they would trust me to do something on my own." the hurt in Amethyst's voice radiated throughout the car.

  
Peridot wished that there was something that she or Connie could do to help, but as much as she wanted it to be, this wasn't Peridot's level of expertise.

Steven peeked into the back seat to see the downtrodden faces of his friends.  
"Dad, are Pearl and Garnet really the upset with us?" he asked.  
"It's not that they're upset with you, they were just really excited for you to see the hard work that they put into for the party, that's all," Greg told him.  
"How does the barn look? Is it awesome?"  
"It's _spooktacular._ " Greg joked as he raised his eyebrows up and down.  
"Like father, like son," Steven said.

  
The front of the van filled with laughter as the vehicle made it's way to the much anticipated Halloween party.


	4. You and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy and angsty. My favorite combinations.  
> This chapter covers the beginning of the party, as well as the beginning of a fight between our beloved characters.  
> Let's hope things get better for our little grape and dorito babies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this (I HOPE ya'll are enjoying reading it.).  
> I'm trying to update every other week but things happen. If you're interested in seeing little updates as well as art that I'm working on for this story, you can follow me on @ cartoonwitch.tumblr.com !

"Steven!" Pearl called out as the van approached the barn.  
The van doors slid open and out came a tumbling costumed parade of eager friends ready to join the party. Steven exited the passenger's side of the van. He hopped to the ground and rushed into the arms of a concerned Pearl.  
"Where have you been?" she asked. "Sorry, we got a little carried away trick or treating. We went inside this haunted house and Peridot totally schooled the host on her story telling. You should have seen it!"  
"Why don't you tell me about it later? You should be enjoying your party! Where's Amethyst?" Pearl asked as her eyes searched the site for the purple gem.  
"Oh, she's over there." Steven pointed towards the van. Sure enough, there Amethyst was, leaning against it as if she knew what was coming and was delaying the evitable.  
  


"Wow! The barn looks amazing!" Connie shouted as she picked herself up from the ground.  
"Pearl and Garnet really outdid themselves."  
"Just wait until you see the food. " Greg said.  
"I can't wait! Come on, Peridot, Amethyst, let's go!"  
Connie ran to join Steven at the entrance of the barn.  
"You two comin'?" Greg looked down at the two gems left standing next to his van.  
Amethyst didn't respond. She had her arms crossed and face turned away as her eyes surveyed the ground. "Uh, we'll be there in a minute." Peridot said. Greg gave her a friendly nod and left to join the others in the barn.  
"Amethyst?" Peridot called quietly.  
"You might wanna head inside. You aren't gonna wanna be around for this."  
"What do you mean?" Peridot asked.  
  


  
Pearl directed Steven to Garnet while she walked over to Amethyst to confront her.  
"Peridot, would you mind giving me and Amethyst a moment alone to talk?"  
Peridot looked over to Amethyst, who for the first time that night, looked genuinely anxious.  
She didn't want to, but she too was afraid of what may happen if she refused Pearl's wishes. She followed Pearl's request and began walking towards the barn to join the party. As she looked over her shoulder, she felt a twinge of guilt for not staying.

  
Pearl looked down at Amethyst, who was still leaned against the van.  
"And where were you this evening?" Pearl inquired. She knew of course where Amethyst had been, what she had been doing, but she wanted an explanation from Amethyst and a question this ludicrous was sure to prod a response.  
"Where do you think?" Amethyst asked.  
Pearl groaned. "You were supposed to be here at least 30 minutes ago. What happened?"  
Amethyst knew that no matter what she said, that it wouldn't help calm Pearl's rage towards her. No matter what Amethyst did, it would be wrong. This didn't leave her with many options, so she opted for the simplest response that she could think of at the time.

"Whatever." Amethyst said. This response also happened to be one of the most infuriating.  
"Excuse me? 'Whatever'? Whatever is not good enough, Amethyst!"  
Amethyst looked at Pearl's face. She was angry, that much was certain. But so was Amethyst.  
She didn't know what Pearl wanted from her. Just as she was about to respond, a shadow cast over the two gems. It was Garnet, with a troubled Steven clinging behind her.

It turned out that their arguing had been so loud that people could hear it even over the music that played from inside the barn.

"That's enough you two. This isn't the time. Steven is here now, that's all that matters." she said. Amethyst and Pearl could feel Garnet's eyes burning into them. She was right. Fighting wasn't going to help the situation. Both Amethyst and Pearl decided to save their bickering for later, if only for Steven's sake.  
Pearl kneeled down and put a gentle hand on top of Steven's shoulder. "I'm sorry Steven. I promise, the rest of your party will go exactly according to plan." Pearl said as she gave him an assuring smile.

"Are you sure you two are okay? It wasn't Amethyst's fault, Pearl. I was the one who-"

"Forget it, Steven. I'm used to it." Amethyst said. She flashed a forced smile his way and began to walk into the barn.  
"Looks great by the way."  
Steven looked even more troubled than before. Amethyst seemed fine, but his gut told him otherwise. He looked to Garnet, hoping for some clarity.  
"Garnet?" he called softly.  
"Don't worry, Steven. Everything will sort itself out in time. Right now, it's party time."  
With that, Garnet, Pearl, and Steven all walked back to the entrance of the barn to finally begin the festivities.  
"It really does look great by the way." Garnet said.

And It did. The tables were set to perfection. The music was playing. The guests were arriving.  
All that the party needed to be truly complete was the guest of honor.  
"Well, are you ready to join your party?" Pearl asked. With a simple nod from Steven, the gems stepped aside and let him take his first step inside.    
He was overwhelmed by the things that he saw.

Brilliant rays of light glared out at him. His eyes traveled from table to table, gazing at the enormous amounts of food. From the green and purple streamers that floated along the ceiling to the dangling plastic spiders that swung from their assigned webs around the corners of the barn, every square inch of the space had been utilized to its full potential. Greg had even donated some of his old stage lights from when he used to perform as "Mr. Universe". They were all in great condition considering their age, all they needed were some new light bulbs which Pearl replaced with orange and purple-colored bulbs to make them more festive.  
He saw the bobbing for apples station that Pearl had set up for him, regardless of the fact that she had no idea what bobbing for apples was.   
Every little detail of the party reflected the effort and love that Garnet and Pearl had put into it. 

  
"You two did all of this for me?" he asked. He looked back and forth between the two gems.  
"Of course, Steven. We love you." Garnet answered.  
"We wanted to make you happy," Pearl said.  
Emotion seemed to overtake him, as tears of joy spilled from his eyes. He simply couldn't believe it. "Thank you!" he cried out as he wrapped his arms around Garnet and Pearl.  
The three embraced one another for a few seconds longer, until finally Steven pulled away.  
"You guys are the best." he said. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"You are. Now, go enjoy yourself." Pearl said, she had tears in her eyes now too.  
Steven left the two gems to find Connie, who was perusing the dessert table with Amethyst nearby.  
"Hey, you two. What's going on over here?" Steven asked.  
"Steven! You HAVE to try this." Connie held out a neon orange cupcake, on top of it was a black ring with a silhouette of a cat on top.  
"Amethyst's already had 4. They're so good!"  
Steven removed the ring and unwrapped the delicate cupcake liner; he took a bite. His face said it all. "These are delicious!" he exclaimed. Connie let out a giggle.  
Behind Connie, Amethyst stood. She was stuffing her arms full of whatever sweets she could get her hands on. Steven's eyes panned down to her. "Amethyst? Are you okay?" he asked.

Amethyst looked up at him from her handful of baked goods. The truth was, Steven's questioned prodded a more complex answer. It was a truth that Amethyst wasn't ready to give, so instead she gave him what he needed to hear, a lie.  
"I'm fine, Steven. Really. It's no biggie. Besides, you know I'm a tough cookie."  
She put her arm that wasn't holding her treats around his neck, bringing him closer to her side of the table. "Speaking of cookies, you should really try these."  
Steven couldn't help but laugh. However, he still felt unsure of Amethyst's response.  
"Come on, before I eat em' all!" Amethyst joked. Steven smiled up at her.

"Alright, alright!" he said as he shoved a cookie in his mouth for a taste test.  
"Well?" Amethyst waited patiently for his response.  
"Deez awre greet!” Steven mumbled through a mouth full of cookie; crumbs fell from his mouth onto the floor. Amethyst let out a cackle. "That's what I'm talking about!" she shouted.  
She seemed to be in high spirits again.  
"Steven, some more of your guests are arriving. Should we greet them?" Connie asked.  
Steven looked towards the barn doors and saw Sour Cream, Jenny Pizza, and Buck Dewey standing in the entrance. "Oh, yeah we should! Let's go!!"

As Connie and Steven went to welcome the new guests to the party, Amethyst was left to binge from the dessert table, alone. That was until a short green gem found her way over to join her.

_Ahem._

Amethyst turned around, she saw Peridot standing behind her. She was smiling and holding her hand up in a slow wave to Amethyst.  
"Oh, Hey Peri. Where have you been?" Amethyst asked as she turned back to the table.  
Peridot joined her on the opposite end.  
"Here. I was observing the rest of the guests and their interactions to better understand party etiquette." Peridot explained.  
"Oh yeah? Did you learn anything?" Amethyst asked her as she scarfed down another cupcake.  
"Negative. I don't seem to have enough information to form any sort of concrete evidence."  
  
Amethyst wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her costume. "I really wouldn't worry too much about party 'etiquette' Peri. The whole point of this thing is to have fun. No rules, no worries, no expectations."  
"Are you having any fun?" Peridot asked. Earlier that night, Peridot couldn't seem to shake feeling that something bad was about to happen, and then it did. Even though she had left Pearl and Amethyst alone, she stayed a quiet observer from the entrance of the barn during their interaction. Peridot had witnessed the entire fight and she felt somewhat culpable for letting it happen in the first place.

"Not yet, but that could change," Amethyst said.  
"How so?" Peridot asked, intrigued.  
"How's about you and me hit the dance the floor?"  
Amethyst pointed toward the vacant floor in the middle of the barn. There had been music playing since before they had arrived, but no one had started dancing yet.  
"What do you say? You and me?" Amethyst reached out her hand.

"You and me?" Peridot asked. She felt her fingers twitch as she stared down at the purple gems empty palm waiting for hers to join it. Peridot's mouth was open but instead of words, the only things that escaped were incoherent mumbles. Amethyst looked at her curiously, waiting for her answer. "I've..never really danced with anyone before." Peridot finally admitted. She felt a slight pang of embarrassment the moment she said it.

"Except with Garnet! For..a brief moment. But that didn't really count." her voice trailed off.

Amethyst grinned. "Hey, that's okay. No pressure. We don't have to do anything fancy. We can just go with whatever moves us."  
"What do you mean by that?" Peridot asked.  
"Take my hand and I'll show you," Amethyst said.

Peridot's eyes darted from the dance floor back to Amethyst's hand. It was now or never.

Amethyst's fingers wrapped themselves snuggly around Peridot's. She brought her to the center of the dance floor. The bright colored lights shone down on the two gems, now face to face, their hands were still clasped and fingers were still interwoven.

"Wherever the music takes you, that's where we'll go," Amethyst said.  
Peridot's eyes followed Amethyst as their hands seemed to swing in sync with the song that played on the stereo. "But how will I know where it will take me?" Peridot asked.  
"We'll just have to find out. Wherever it is, I'll be there with you."

Peridot still wasn't too sure about dancing, but if it gave her an excuse to be this close to Amethyst, then it couldn't be that bad.

The stereo played a popular pop song with an upbeat medley. Its lyrics seemed to repeat themselves over and over, Peridot noted. Amethyst swayed her hips to the beat, as Peridot tried to keep up. "Am I doing this right?" Peridot asked. She was looking down at her feet.

Amethyst laughed. "It's not really about being right or wrong, Per. It's about how it makes you feel." Peridot looked down at her hands, still tightly wrapped around Amethysts.  
"I feel...Safe." Peridot said. "You do?" Amethyst was caught off guard.  
Not moments ago, she had Pearl telling her that she was unreliable but now with Peridot, she was suddenly _safe_?  
"Can I be honest with you, Amethyst?" Peridot asked. The conversation began to take a more serious tone. "Sure." Amethyst said.  
  
"Earlier this evening, I admittedly underestimated how overwhelming this 'Halloween' was going to be on my senses. I don't know if you noticed, but there were a few moments where it almost got the better of me."

"You don't say," Amethyst said.

"Yes, well..one of the things that seemed to calm my nerves was the company of my friends. More specifically, you." Peridot said. Peridot had done a lot of brave things that Halloween night but this felt like it was by far the bravest.  
"Me?" Amethyst was surprised, flattered, but mostly surprised. Peridot stayed silent.  
"Wow, that's..really nice, Peridot but..what did I do?" she asked.  
All that stuck out from the night in Amethyst's mind was the end of trick or treating when Peridot totally braved the haunted house. The idea that Amethyst had inspired her in any way didn't seem to compute.

  
"You..you're so brave. The way that you carry yourself, it's like nothing scares you. Just seeing how fearless you were tonight, it made me want to be that way too. You're supportive, and brave, and strong. You make me feel like I can do anything. So. Um. Yes..." Peridot stopped herself before she divulged too much to the purple gem.

If Amethyst was shocked before, she didn't know what her emotions were now. No one had ever talked to her like this before. It wasn't like she hadn't ever been given a compliment, but this was so much more to her than that.

While Amethyst was being praised for being strong, Peridot had made herself vulnerable.

"I really don't know what to say...Thank you, Peridot. I..I'm really happy that you feel safe with me."  
Peridot smiled. "There's no need to thank me. I'm simply relaying the truth," she said.

Amethyst's eyes glanced down at the small green hands wrapped around her own. They were soft and delicate against Amethyst's large rough palms and calloused fingers.

For as overwhelmed as Amethyst was, she could not help but smile too.

There they were, the technician and the soldier, together holding hands and dancing in the spotlight for all to see...  
"Maybe, I could tell you now how I feel about you," Amethyst said in a hushed tone. She stepped a little closer to Peridot if only so the rest of the room would not hear her confession.

Peridot's eyes grew wide. The surge of adrenaline that she had felt enter her body back at the haunted house had returned, but this time, she was filled with excitement.

"Uhh, yeah! Okay," she said, trying to play it cool.  
"Unless you don't wanna hear it," Amethyst said.  
"NO! Please! I mean-- if you'd like." Peridot blurted out.

Amethyst took a deep breath. Her head spun as it filled with thoughts about all of the things that she wanted to say, all the things that she had wanted to say for **months** but had never garnered the courage to before. She hoped that she finally had the strength to say them now.  
"Well, you see before you..before you came here, I-"  
Amethyst was trying to explain her feelings but the words weren't coming out in the order she had planned them.  
She tried again. "I was...I didn't feel- but now I."  
Amethyst blushed as she pictured what a mumbling fool she must look like to Peridot, who to her, never seemed to have a problem articulating her thoughts.

Amethyst could feel Peridots eyes on her as she stared intently at her; it was all too much. Her eyes fell down to her hands, which she could feel as they began to shake. She imagined that Peridot could feel them shake too, which just made her even more nervous which in turn caused her hands to shake even more.

"Yes? Amethyst? Go on..." Peridot said. 

Amethyst could barely force herself to look back at Peridot. She was filled with too much shame. Amethyst wanted so badly to tell her how she felt, how she had felt for all of this time. She wanted to reveal all of her secrets but she couldn't. The lights were too bright above the dance floor, and Amethyst had stayed in the dark for so long, she didn't know how to face their luminescence anymore. 

She let go of Peridot's hands.

"Amethyst?" Peridot asked. She looked at her, waiting for an answer, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry, I..." Amethyst said.  
Peridot tried to take back Amethyst's hand but Amethyst was out of reach.

  
Just as a silence had begun to creep between the two gems, a loud voice interfered, calling out to them. “Hey you two!!” it was Steven. He and Connie had joined the two of them on the dance floor. "Gettin' down with some me fresh beats I see. May we join you?" Steven asked.

Peridot looked to Amethyst, who much to her surprise, nodded in agreement to Steven's request.

"You call this a sick beat?" asked the tall pale blonde standing behind Steven. Steven turned around to see Sour cream, he had brought his turntable, along with a laptop full of music to play for the party. "If you guys really wanna get down, wait until you listen to this!" he said.  
He plugged in his laptop and clicked on a playlist appropriately named "Party Jamz".  
The new music was a fast paced electro-pop techno song.  
The dance floor quickly filled with new bodies as people began filing in to enjoy the new ambiance.

Amethyst was soon cloaked in a cape of shuffling guests and was completely obscured from Peridot's view.  
She looked down at her empty hand.  
_Did I do something wrong?_   She asked herself.  
Had she offended Amethyst, or made her uncomfortable? She hoped not, but without hearing Amethyst's response, Peridot was left at the mercy of her own thoughts- thoughts that told her things like: "Amethyst will never feel content with you, you're just a puny Peridot. Someone as strong and capable as her could never feel safe in the hands of someone so weak."  
  
Peridot stood in the middle of the dance floor. surrounded by people but feeling completely alone. She looked desperately for an exit.   
She tried to squeeze through the small gaps between dancers, but she couldn't seem to find an opening. Asking anyone to move wasn't an option either because of how loud the music was. She was a capsized ship in a sea of bodies.   
  
Suddenly, she felt a hand as it wrapped around hers. _Amethyst?_ She wondered. She quickly turned around.   
"Hey, buddy. You okay?" Steven asked. "Oh. Steven. Actually no, I'm trying to get out of here but there don't seem to be any exits."   
"It is getting a little crowded, isn't it? Come on, I'll help you."   
   
Steven steered Peridot to the safety of that was anywhere besides the chaotic body of dancers.   
  
"Gee, thanks." Peridot said. She still felt rather despondent since her and Amethyst's conversation.   
"You should come with me, I'm gonna teach Pearl how to bob for apples!" Steven said.   
"Bob for what now?"   
"Just come on! It'll be fun!" Steven said.   
Peridot looked around the barn. Amethyst was nowhere in sight.   
Peridot shrugged. She had nothing else to do, and bobbing for these apples may be the perfect distraction.   
"Why not." she said.

 She allowed Steven to lead her to the right corner of the barn where Pearl was waiting with a bucket of shiny red apples and a barrel full of water.   
_What is this madness?_ she asked herself.   
She woud find out soon enough.   
  



	5. Bobbing for sympathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven teaches Pearl and Peridot the game "bobbing for apples" and gets more than he bargains for.  
> Greg and Steven performed a duet and Amethyst and Pearl rehash their argument that they had at the beginning of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in this chapter "Alien like you" is an actual song that you can listen to here:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UciYRrltZ0  
> I highly recommend listening while you read along this chapter!

"So...What do we do exactly?" Pearl asked.  
Both she and Peridot stood in front of Steven as they stared at the wooden barrel full of water next to the overflowing bucket of apples parked on the floor.

"Oh! Well, first we gotta put the apples into the barrel of water!" Steven explained as he took a handful of the apples from the bucket and quickly tossed them into the barrel.

"Then what do we do?" Peridot asked.  
"The object of the game is to catch as many apples as you can with your mouth," Steven said.  
"With our MOUTH?" Pearl exclaimed. The look on her face was nothing less than horrified.

"Yep!" Steven answered simply.  
"What for?" Peridot asked.  
"For fun!" Steven said.

  
Pearl and Peridot turned their heads and looked at one another.

"I don't know about this, Steven," Pearl said as she turned her head back towards Steven.  
"I'm going to a have to agree with Pearl," Peridot said. "This game seems rather...antiquated. Perhaps we could play one of your electronic video games instead?" she asked.

Steven laughed. "Hey, just give it a chance you two. Here, I'll go first. Pearl, hold my hands behind my back." Steven said as he positioned himself in front of the barrel.

"Wha?" Pearl stepped back, visibly confused.  
"I can only use my mouth to get the apples, so someone has to hold my hands behind my back," Steven told her.

Pearl stepped forward, gently taking Steven's hands and placing them behind his back as requested. "I'm just letting you know now, this makes me extremely uncomfortable," Pearl said.

"Don't worry! Just watch." Steven said.  
Steven took a few steps forward until the front of his body met the body of the barrel.  
He slowly leaned his head closer to the brim and dunked his face into the water, causing a small splash in Peridot's direction. "EEK!" she shrieked.

A few seconds went by as Pearl and Peridot observed him trying to bite into the apples that floated along the surface of the water.

Steven's head jerked back as he lifted his face from the water. "Did you win?" Peridot asked.  
"No no, you have to actually bob an apple before you can win. I think I'm gonna have to go deeper. " Steven said.

Pearl and Peridot watched as Steven submerged his entire head into the barrel of water.  
Pearl stood directly behind him. She held his hands still behind his back, as she was told.  
"Is he sure this is how the game is played?" Peridot asked.  
"I'm beginning to ask myself that same question," Pearl said.

The two gems stared down at the boy a few seconds longer.  
"He's been in there a while now..." Pearl said.  
"Yeah..." Peridot said.

Just then, Steven's head began to throttle.  
"YOU'RE DROWNING HIM! PULL HIM UP, PULL HIM UP!" Peridot screamed.  
Pearl quickly let go of Steven's hands and grabbed him by his shoulders, pulling him from the water. "Steven!! Steven, are you alright?" Pearl yelled. Her voice was shrill and filled with concern.

Steven turned around to face the two panicked gems, spitting an apple from his mouth.   
"I got one!!" he squeed.

Pearl and Peridot stood mortified, staring down at him, their faces were completely void of color.  
"What's the matter with you two? You look like you've seen a ghost." Steven said.

"We..we thought..I.." Pearl was at a loss for words.  
"We thought Pearl had drowned you," Peridot said.

"Drowned me?! Geez, you two really need to relax. Come on, Pearl. Now that you've seen how it's played, you can have a turn!" Steven said.  
"Me? I'm sure that Peridot would rather go next. She seems more eager to try it." Pearl said.

Peridot furrowed her brow. "Or maybe you're just afraid of getting a little wet," Peridot said. She laughed in an attempt to taunt Pearl.  
"Please! You really think that a little water is enough to scare me?" Pearl asked.  
"I don't know, but you seem pretty timid for someone who isn't scared," Peridot said.

"I'll show you scared, short stuff!" Pearl yelled. "I bet you that I can catch far more apples than you can!"  
"Is that so?" Peridot questioned. A competitive tension had begun to manifest itself between the two gems. Unbeknownst to Pearl, Peridot had been carrying a bit of anger towards her since witnessing the confrontation between Amethyst and Pearl earlier that evening. She decided then that she would direct that anger towards proving Pearl wrong.

"Wow, wow, wow! Is this turning into what I think it's turning into?" Steven asked.  
"Steven." Peridot turned to him. "We're going to need another barrel," she said, as her eyes panned down to the bucket of red apples sitting on the floor.

  
.

  
"Alright, at the count of three, you're both going to dunk in your heads. You'll each have three minutes to get as many apples as you can. When the timer goes off, you have to stop and then we'll count each of the apples that you've caught. Whoever bobs the most, wins!" Steven shouted.

Steven stood on a small wooden crate. The crate was sturdy enough to hold his weight and tall enough so that he could oversee the Pearl and Peridot's barrels as they played the game. He held a small timer in his hands that was ready to be set at his command.

Pearl nodded her head in agreement. She stood perched over her barrel ready to go at the word.  
Peridot stood stoically on top of a small kiddie chair that Steven had given her so that she could reach her barrel.  
"Is this really necessary? I can nearly reach the top of the barrel just fine without the chair." Peridot said.  
"It'll be fine, Peridot. Besides, Pearl brought up a good point earlier, she's taller than you, and I wouldn't want that to give her any sort of advantage."  
"No, we wouldn't want that would we..." Peridot grumbled. She shot a cold look in Pearl's direction to which the tall gem replied with a smirk.

"Oh, and since I'm the one keeping time, I won't be able to hold either of your hands behind for you." Steven said.  
"That's okay, Steven. I think that we'd both prefer if you didn't." Pearl said.  
"Enough! Let's start!" Peridot shouted.

Steven set his timer so that it read three minutes on the dot.  
"Ready? One...Two...Three, GO!" Steven yelled.

With the words go, Pearl and Peridot both dunked their heads into their barrels.  
Surprisingly, Peridot quickly took the lead as she sunk her teeth into the first apple that she laid her eyes on. She lifted her head from the barrel and chucked it into a separate bucket designated for keeping her score.

Pearl, on the other hand, was finding the game more difficult. She approached the game with much hesitance and because of this, she was having a harder time wrapping her mouth around any of the apples..mostly because she refused to bite them.

"Peridot's got one!" Steven announced.  
Pearl couldn't help but glance over to Peridot as she dunked her head a second time and emerged with a second apple. "That's two!" Steven shouted.  
Steven looked to Pearl, who was trying to use her nose to guide one of the floating apples towards her face. "Come on, Pearl! I know you hate food but you don't actually have to eat any of the apples. All you have to do is bite down and spit out." Steven said.

"Bite and spit..." Pearl whispered to herself. _But spitting is disgusting_ , Pearl thought.  
Pearl looked down into her barrel, her eyes caught onto a small apple floating near the middle of the surface. In she went with her mouth open and teeth bared.  
She bit down, hoping to sink her teeth into something...  
"I've got one!!" Pearl muffled through her teeth stuck in the apple.

Steven gave her a thumbs up. "Awesome!" he told her.

"Great! That makes one to my three." Peridot shouted as she hurled her third apple into her bucket. "Good luck getting ahead."   
Pearl used her hand to remove the apple from her mouth. "I don't need luck," she said, as she tossed it into her bucket.  
"Let's do this!"

Pearl's head was finally in the game. It didn't take long until she caught up to Peridot.  
Soon, both of the gems were furiously dunking their heads in and out of their respective barrels. Peridot spat another apple out, she glared her eyes out at Pearl who had just as many in her bucket now. 

  
Peridot was starting to panic. They were neck and neck now.

"10 seconds left!" Steven shouted.

There was no time left but Peridot knew she had to find a way win.  
There were 3 apples left in her barrel, she knew that if she could get at least one that she would have a shot at beating Pearl. She decided to would try to get the third apple that leaned against the brim of the barrel, if she could just use the barrel itself as leverage, she could do it.

Peridot sought out her target, she dove head first into the barrel. However, it seemed she had overestimated her velocity and instead of shooting her mouth towards the apple, she hurled herself into the barrel itself.

_"OOF!"_

**Beep Beep Beep.**  
The timer went off. The game was over.

"Did I win?" Pearl yelled as she perked her head up. Her face was dripping with water.  
"Pearl! Help me!" Steven shouted as he rushed to Peridot.  
"Oh my goodness!" Pearl shouted.  
Peridot's feet kicked as she struggled to free herself from the barrel's grasp.

Steven and Pearl helped pull Peridot out. She and her costume were completely soaked with water from head to toe. "Did I win?" Peridot asked.

 

 

  
"Please, don't tell us that it's a tie again," Pearl said.  
Pearl and Peridot stood side by side as Steven counted the apples from their buckets.  
"It has to be me. I was way ahead of you from the start." Peridot said.  
"Now now, Peridot. Ever heard of the tortoise and the hair?" Pearl asked.  
"The what and the what?" Peridot asked.  
Pearl sighed. "Oh, nevermind."

Steven turned around to face the two gems. "I've finished tallying the results," he said.  
"And?" Pearl asked.  
"Yes, and? Who won?" Peridot shouted.  
"And the winner is...PEARL!" Steven announced. He smiled up at the gem. "Congratulations! You get...An apple!" Steven said as he handed Pearl a crisp red apple free of bite marks.

"YES!" Pearl said. She made a victory fist with her new trophy in hand.  
"How is that possible?!" Peridot demanded to know. "Looks like I was right. Luck had nothing to do with it." Pearl gloated as she took a bite of her apple.  
She quickly spat it out once she realized what she had done.

Peridot rolled her eyes. "Great, congrats. Just another argument that you won tonight." Peridot said. She wasn't so much upset at the fact that she had lost, as she was frustrated with Pearl's demeanor after she had won. Pearl was so proud of herself. She was always right, there was never any other way, no room for mistakes. This made Peridot furious, partially because she saw how it had affected Amethyst that night, but also because it reminded her of herself and it reminded her of all of the damage she had caused in the past with that same kind of thinking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pearl asked.  
"Why don't you go ask Amethyst, oh wait--you didn't allow her to speak earlier tonight so why would now be any different," Peridot said. She crossed her arms.

"I don't know what you think that you overheard but Amethyst was less than compliant earlier this evening. She had her chance to explain herself and she refused. There's nothing that I could have done to change that." Pearl said.

Peridot unfolded her arms. "Maybe if you weren't so abrasive," she yelled as she pointed at Pearl.  
"Abrasive?!" Pearl shouted.  
"Yes, abrasive. Should I read you the definition?" Peridot asked uncondescendingly.  
"Listen here, Peridot!" Pearl began but Steven quickly intervened.

"That's enough! What's going on with you two? One minute you're having a friendly competition and the next you're arguing." Steven said.  
He looked at his two friends.  
"Perhaps you should ask Peridot. She seems to the one with the problem." Pearl said as she turned her back on the green gem.  
Steven looked to Peridot.

"Peridot?" he called softly.  
"Forget it. I'm going to dry off," she said. Peridot began to walk away in a huff. As she left, Steven could hear her grumbling. "Stupid Halloween. Who's idea was this stupid holiday anyway? Who devotes any entire night to being scared? Stupid. Stupid."

Pearl soon did the same; she walked toward the opposite end of the barn, as far away from Peridot as possible.  
Steven looked around at the bobbing for apple station.It didn't resemble anything close to what it had looked like at the beginning of the night.   
It looked like a war had broken out, he thought. The apples were all half chewed, there was water spilled onto the floor and the buckets were tipped over. 

Steven looked sadly at his reflection in the water of one of the barrels.  
"Some party..." Steven said as he shut his eyes.  
  
"Steven?"  
Steven quickly opened his eyes back up and saw the reflection of his father standing behind him.  
"Dad!" he shouted as he swiftly turned around.  
"Hey, bud. Are uh, you okay?" Greg asked. He could tell by the look on his son's face that something was off.  
"Uh, yeah I'm alright. Something's going on with Pearl and Peridot, though. And Amethyst." Steven said.  
"I saw the little scuffle that broke out just now, that's why I came to see if you were alright. What happened with Amethyst and Pearl though?" Greg asked.  
"I'll tell you but can we go somewhere else to talk?" Steven asked.   
Steven took a final look at the sad state of the scene behind him.   
"Sure bud," Greg said. 

Greg placed an arm around his son and took him outside the barn to talk.

"Earlier, when we first got here, Amethyst and Pearl got into a huge fight. I think it was because Amethyst didn't bring me to the party like she said she would but the only reason she didn't is because Connie and I begged her to let us trick or treat longer." Steven explained. His voice was filled with sadness and concern for his friends.

"I see...Did you tell Pearl and Garnet that?" Greg asked.  
"I think they know, even if they don't, I don't think that it would make a difference," Steven said. He looked down at his feet, he was wearing the light blue slippers that he had owned forever but that Pearl had refurbished when she made his costume.

He had held such high hopes at the beginning of the night, but now, it felt like his dreams for the evening were just that..dreams.

"Maybe Peridot's right. Maybe this is just a stupid holiday." Steven said.  
"Hey hey hey. Listen, Peridot's just in a bad mood, okay? Besides, just because she doesn't think this is a worthwhile day doesn't mean that you shouldn't. You were so excited to dress up this Halloween. I heard you even had a theme." Greg said.

"We did," Steven said.  
"So? What changed? Why is it not important to you anymore?" Greg asked.  
Steven thought about his dad's question for a moment.  
"It's still important. I'm just..I'm just worried about my friends is all." Steven said.  
"I know you are, pal. That's why you're such a good guy. You're always looking out for other people ahead of yourself. But you have to take care of yourself too, ya know?" Greg asked.

Steven pulled his dad into a hug.  
Greg smiled and wrapped his arms around Steven and gave him a giant bear hug.  
"I miss your beard," Steven said, still holding onto his dad.  
Greg let out an earth-shaking cackle. "Oh yeah? Well, next Halloween let your old man in on the theme and I won't shave it." Greg said.  
"Deal," Steven said.

"You okay now?" Greg asked.  
Steven pulled away from his dad. He nodded. He was feeling a bit better, but his lack of grief just reminded him of a certain gem who he was certain wasn't as alright as she seemed.  
"I'm just worried about Amethyst is all. She says she's okay but I don't know if I believe her." Steven said.

"Sometimes, people pretend that they're okay to hide the fact that they're hurting," Greg said.  
"Why would she do that?" Steven asked.  
Greg sighed. "I don't know bud. Sometime's people do it to protect those around them. Sometimes it's just to get by..."  
Steven looked to the sky. The stars seemed dimmer that night, despite the fact that the sky was dark. The moon was covered by the clouds who kept any light from escaping their grasp.

"I just wish that Amethyst would talk to me. If she's not okay, wouldn't talking about it help? I know that I always feel better after talking to you about my problems. Like tonight!" Steven said.  
Greg patted Steven's back. "Thanks champ, but it isn't as simple as that for everyone. Sometime's the hurt is too deep or the problem's too big to just talk it out once. Sometime's it takes time and work, time to heal and work to get down to what's really bothering someone. Sometime's people just aren't ready for that." Greg explained.

"You're probably right," Steven said.  
"But if you ever need to talk to someone, no matter how big you think the problem is- I want you to talk to me. If you can, and if you can't, try to talk to someone else, whether it be Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, or your friend Connie. Just remember we all care about you and you aren't alone." Greg said.

Steven looked to Greg, there were small tears in his eyes.  
Greg tried to the use the sleeve of his jacket to wipe them away.  
"Ah geez, pleather doesn't seem to work too well on soakin' up tear drops." Greg joked.  
Steven laughed through his tears.  
"Thanks, Dad. For everything." Steven said.  
"I just wish that Amethyst didn't feel alone."

Greg stood up, he reached out a hand and helped Steven up from the ground.  
Steven looked at the doors of the barn. Even though his dad had made him feel better, he couldn't help but feel hesitant about re-entering the barn.   
The flame of the night was slowly burning out, and Steven wanted to take every precaution now to make sure that it didn't die. But he could only control himself; he had no control over anyone else's actions. 

 

"Say, we haven't seen too much of one each other tonight. How's about you and your old man turn the volume up on this party with a jam sesh?" Greg asked.  
Steven's eyes lit up. "Really?" he shouted.  
"Yeah, really! I brought some of my equipment just for the occasion." Greg said.  
"In fact I..brought a little song that I wrote a few years back. I thought maybe you'd wanna perform it with me." Greg suggested.  
Steven gasped, his eyes were filled with shining stars. Maybe this flame would stay alive, after all.   
"LET'S DO THIS!" he shouted.

 

With the word from Steven, Sour Cream had shut the music off.  
The crowd looked around in confusion, as two silhouettes rose from the smoke.  
Lights flickered on around them, revealing the faces of Steven and Greg.  
They were holding guitars with a mic stand in front of them.  
The crowd quickly circled around them as they took the stage on the makeshift stack of hay bundles that Steven and Greg had snuck into the barn. 

"This one goes out to all the Alien's out there...or in here," Greg said.  
The crowd didn't quite know what to make of his comment but once the song started, it didn't matter.

 _~♪I know that you don't_  
_Know that I know what you know_  
_We've got secrets between us that_  
_Nobody else would believe if we told them_  
_So let the stars align_  
_And let the water make wine 'cause_  
_Broken souls will become whole tonight, oh tonight_  
_We know it's right so..._

 _Lift your eyes and let me in_  
_'Cause baby I'm an alien like you_  
_Would you ever wake at night and realize_  
_The reason why you knew me then_  
_Is maybe I'm an alien too_  
_Would you ever let me be an alien with you?~♫_

Amethyst stood against the wall of the barn as she listened to the lyrics of the song Greg and Steven sang.  
It must have been an old song, something that Greg had written about Rose when they were together.  
Amethyst couldn't help but feel a special connection to the lyrics, especially as she noticed Peridot swaying to the music in the doorway of the barn.  
She had taken off her costume, she was back in just her uniform now but looked just as beautiful as ever.

She wanted to be with her, but she didn't know how.  
  
_I totally blew it,_ she thought

 _~♪I know that believing_  
_Is hard with the feeling_  
_That home must be millions and millions of light years away_  
_So let the heavens flare_  
_And let's not be scared, 'cause_  
_We know love's_ a world _above this one_  
_It's like the sun so..._

 _Lift your eyes and let me in_  
_'Cause baby I'm an alien like you_  
_Would you ever wake at night and realize_  
_The reason why you knew me then_  
_Is maybe I'm an alien too_  
_Would you ever let me be an alien with you...~♫_

Amethyst wondered if Peridot was feeling the same way that she was right now.  
She imagined walking up to the small green gem, just taking her hand, and asking her to dance again.  
It would be so easy, she thought. But so hard.  
Amethyst was so close, but so far away.

 _~♪The days of solitude are gone_  
_Because we've both spent way too long_  
_Hearing voices on the radio_  
_And we can't let anybody know_  
No _we can't let anybody know...~♫_

  
All of these thoughts were too much for Amethyst. She had to get away. She found herself abandoning her post at the wall of the barn and wandering toward the right end, away from the crowd and away from the music. She hoped that her thoughts would be left there too and wouldn't follow her.

Sure enough, the noise slowly dissipated. But the voices in her head continued to shout.  
She gripped her head trying to make them stop.   
"Stop! Just stop!" she cried as she pulled at the tufts of her hair.

"I'm not doing anything." A voice said from behind her.  
Amethyst quickly turned around.  
Much to Amethyst's dismay, it was Pearl.

"Oh, I wasn't- forget it," Amethyst said.  
"Well, the rest of the night sure seems to be going well, despite the rocky start," Pearl said.  
_What did she mean by that?_  Amethyst wondered. _Is she trying to bring up what happened earlier tonight?_  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Amethyst asked.

Pearl looked at her curiously. "It means exactly what I said," Pearl told her.  
Amethyst wasn't buying it.  
"And is there anything else that you want to say to me, Pearl?" Amethyst asked.  
"I have a few choice words but I've made the decision to remain civil this evening Amethyst, as have you," Pearl said.

Amethyst laughed, not because what Pearl had said was humorous, more about the idea that Pearl had actually believed it.  
"Well, if you're trying to remain civil then you're doing a pretty lousy job at it," Amethyst said.

Pearl scoffed. "Well, I wouldn't be the first person to do a lousy job at keeping a promise that I made, would I?" Pearl asked.

_She did NOT just say that. It is so on. If you want a fight, you got one._

"You didn't even give me a chance to keep my promise! You had to send Greg to pick all of us up. You obviously didn't trust me to get Steven here on time." Amethyst shouted.

"You DIDN'T bring him here on time. I wouldn't have had to send ANYONE had done what you were asked. " Pearl yelled.  
The shouting began to carry onto the other side of the barn where Steven and Greg were singing their final chorus.

"You don't think I can do anything right" Amethyst screamed.  
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. This isn't my fault. This doesn't have anything to do with me. This is about YOU, Amethyst! You're irresponsible." Pearl shouted as she pointed an accusatory finger at Amethyst.

The music stopped.  
  
Pearl's words echoed through the hall's of Amethyst's mind, the vibrations breaking every mirror, shattering every reflection of her self-worth.  
Amethyst had nothing left. She didn't have a voice, she didn't have tears to cry, she didn't even have words. Everything had been stripped.

   
Pearl covered her mouth as the consequences of her words began to settle in her mind. "Wait, Amethyst! I..." 

But it was too late. With nothing left, Amethyst simply walked away. She walked towards the entrance of the barn, paying no mind to who she saw or didn't see on along the way. Amethyst was gone and it would take more than any apology to fix what had been broken. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are catching onto the "breakdown" theme I'm kind of following with Amethyst in this story.  
> Amethyst to me is a very complex character. I think she struggles with a lot of inner demons (depression, low self worth/esteem) and repressing her emotions/coping with using humor as a defense mechanism I and wanted to dedicate a story to exploring that a bit.  
> I'm also not trying to make Pearl look like the bad guy here, because Pearl has her insecurities and issues that I think she projects onto others by needing things to be a certain way. Peridot is also projecting quite a bit of her anger that she carries towards herself here.  
> Steven on the other hand, is the most empathic/sympathetic person and he just wants to make things okay which can make for a lot of grief and struggle because as we all know, you can't make people happy. 
> 
> Anyways, I just felt like adding that little explanation in here because I'm really proud of this chapter and I hope you are enjoying it. We've only got a chapter or two left so stay tuned!


	6. Unraveled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg and Steven's performance finishes and they're greeted with an overwhelmingly positive audience review.  
> As the night continues, tensions reach their peak and someone has a breakdown.  
> Greg finally talks to Garnet and Pearl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love Greg ok. He's a good guy. He deserves better.  
> So does Amethyst.  
> I don't have much else to say about this chapter because I need to nap.

The stage lights slowly faded out as the music came to a stop.  
Greg took the mic at center stage "Will you ever..let me be..an alien with you?" he sang acapella.  
The lights lit back up to reveal the two performers with their guitars at their sides.

Steven and Greg were both surprised when they heard the uproar of guests applauding their performance. They stared down at the sea of people clapping and screaming their praises. Steven looked out to see a small green gem as she made her way through the crowd.

"Steven!! You two were amazing!" Peridot shouted over the voices of the rambunctious crowd.  
"We were?" Greg asked.  
"YOU BET WE WERE!" Steven yelled.  
The crowd all followed Steven and Greg as they made their way off the stage.  
"Wow, Steven! You and your dad were great." Sadie said. Steven blushed at her compliment.  
"Right, Lars?" Sadie asked. Lars stayed silent until Sadie gave him a nudge. "Geez! Yeah, you were good, I guess..." he said.  
"Forget good! You two were amazing!" Jenny yelled.

"Geez, thanks, everybody, really. It's..it's been awhile since I performed like that." Greg said bashfully.

"That was awesome! Do you think you could do something like that for my birthday party?" Mike Dewey asked.  
Greg looked to Steven, who along with Peridot was giving an enthusiastic thumbs up.  
"Uh, sure! Yeah, I'm sure we could work something out." Greg said.  
"Sweet! You'll have to get in touch with my dad. You know him." Mike said.  
Greg laughed. "Yeah I know him."  
"Hey! I thought I was DJing your party, no offense Mr. Universe." Sour cream interjected.  
"Shhhh. Not cool man." Mike said.

"I must say, that was quite the performance you two gave. It was the perfect song for a night such as tonight." Ronald said as he stepped outside of the swarm of people.  
"Thanks, Ronaldo. Thanks for coming!" Steven said.  
"Of course. One does not refuse an invitation to such a soiree." Ronaldo said as he gave a friendly smile.

Out of nowhere, Connie emerged from the crowd. She ran up to Steven and Greg as they stood with Peridot at the bottom of the stage.  
"Steven! Mr. Universe! That was amazing!" she shouted.  
"Connie! Where have you been?" Steven asked. He hadn't seen his friend since they had danced together earlier that evening.  
"Oh! My mom called me to check in. I had to slip out for a bit." she said.

"Thanks, Connie! I couldn't have done it without this guy here." Greg said.

Greg turned to face Steven. He kneeled down and gave his son a pat on the shoulder.  
"Thanks for playing with me, man. I really appreciate it. You made that song even better than it was when I first wrote it." Greg said.  
Steven hugged his dad. "Thanks for letting me play it with you, Dad." he said.  
Thanks to Greg's suggestion, it seemed as thought the night was finally looking up.

"If I may ask, Mr. Dad, what exactly was the song regarding?" Peridot asked.  
"You can just call me Greg."  
"Of course." Peridot nodded.  
"Oh man, what was it about? Well...I know what it was about when I was writing it. I wrote it around the time that Steven's mom and I got together. We had started getting closer, really putting in the work into our relationship. I guess I just wanted her to let me in emotionally, you know? That kind of stuff is crucial when you have a relationship with someone. If you don't have that, it can be pretty isolating, that's how I felt when I wrote it anyway. I guess I still kind of feel that way sometimes." Greg's happy demeanor seemed to shrink as his voice trailed off.

All three of the friends stared up at the man. Steven stared with concern, Connie with sympathy and Peridot with confusion.  
"Uh, I also wrote it because you know...Aliens." Greg said.  
Ronald nodded in agreement. The four all turned around to see him observing their conversation.   
"Oh, sorry. I should make my way to the refreshments before they run out." Ronaldo said as he hightailed it toward the food tables.  

"So, it's about a relationship?" Peridot asked.  
"Yes." Greg answered.  
"A relationship..between aliens?" Peridot asked.  
"It's about not alienating the people who understand you, communicating and letting yourself be intimate and emotionally vulnerable with someone else. But also about Aliens..." Greg said.  
"I see...Thank you, Greg." Peridot said.  
"Hey, no problem!" Greg said, but before he could finish Peridot had run off as though to catch something.

"She seems happier." Greg said.  
"Yeah! I think she just needed some time to cool off. Or dry off..." Steven said.  
They both laughed. "Probably. So, what's next on our agenda for tonight?" Greg asked.

"Well, let's see!" Pearl said.  
Greg, Steven, and Connie all looked to their right to see Pearl standing with her clipboard. She had written a new checklist for the activities of the party. "Let's see..." she started trickling down the list to find their new objective but before she could, a bag of marshmallows dropped onto the board.

Pearl unwrinkled the plastic to read the words on the packaging. "Marshmallows?"  
"S'mores." a voice stated behind her.  
Pearl turned around.

"Garnet!" Pearl, Greg, Steven, and Connie all shouted in unison.  
Along with two additional bags of marshmallows, Garnet also held three boxes of graham crackers and a jumbo bag of mini chocolate bars.  
"Garnet! Where have you been?" Pearl yelled.  
"I've been getting the fire started." Garnet said.  
"The what?" Pearl asked.

Garnet lead the five of them to the outside of the barn where the guests from the party had gathered in front of the warm fire she had made.  
"S'mores." Garnet said.  
"I see." Pearl said.

"Alright, s'mores!" Steven shouted. Garnet handed him and Connie the supplies.  
"You're gonna have to find sticks." Garnet said. "No problem! Stick finder, reporting for duty!" Steven shouted. "Come on, Connie!"  
Connie attempted to give a salute as she struggled to balance holding the boxes of crackers.

"Garnet, I don't suppose you've seen Amethyst?" Pearl asked.  
Garnet pointed towards a log that both Amethyst and Peridot shared next to the bonfire.  
"Oh." Pearl said. "Well, I suppose it's nothing to worry about then."

Greg stood next to Pearl and Garnet as they conversed. He couldn't help but notice earlier as Amethyst and Pearl got into their second fight during his performance with Steven.  
"I wouldn't say that Pearl," Greg said.  
"Excuse me?" Pearl asked.  
"It seems to me like you three have a lot to work out." Greg said.

Pearl crossed her arms and frowned at the man. "Well, Greg. I don't believe that I nor Garnet nor Amethyst asked for your thoughts on the matter." Pearl said.  
"Pearl!" Garnet shouted.  
"No offense," Pearl said.

"Well, no offense but I think my opinion does matter because my son lives with all of you and your fighting is affecting him." Greg explained.  
The two gems both looked over at Steven, who stood hunched over looking through a patch of grass for a long enough twig to roast his marshmallow on.

"What do you mean, affecting him?" Pearl asked.  
"It's upsetting him. He's worried about you all and it's taking a toll. It almost ruined his entire night. He cares too much to tell you but it's true." Greg said.

Pearl didn't know what to say, she was torn between being offended at Greg's accusation and concerned for Steven's well being if Greg's claim had any merit.  
"Why don't we talk about this inside," Garnet said.  
The three adults all went into the barn, closing the door behind them to assure no guests or children entered and overheard their conversation.

 

Meanwhile, outside of the barn, Amethyst and Peridot were about to engage in a private conversation of their own. 

 

Amethyst sat on the fallen log in front of the warm fire that Garnet had made.

She had depersonalized to the point that it took her a moment before she realized Peridot had been calling her name.  
Peridot's voice felt like a warm whisper in the cold fog that clouded Amethyst's mind.

She turned her head to see a timid Peridot sitting beside her.  
"Amethyst, is it okay if I sit here?" Peridot asked.  
Amethyst gave a slow nod. "Sure," she said.  
Her voice was faint and weak compared to her usual boisterous voice accompanied by her overly confident demeanor. In fact, everything about Amethyst looked fragile, as though even the slightest touch could break her.

"Are..are you okay?" Peridot asked.  
Amethyst shrugged. She knew that she wasn't but didn't have the energy nor emotional capacity to explain anything further to Peridot.  
"Are you mad at me?" Peridot asked.  
"What? No, no Peridot. I..I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm just- I think that I just need to be alone for a minute." Amethyst told her.  
"Should I go?" Peridot asked.  
Amethyst nodded again, just as slowly as before.  
She sat with her arms crossed, her body hunched over her knees, with her eyes glued to the ground. It looked as if she was collapsing into herself.

Peridot stood up, ready to leave Amethyst alone but she was reminded of Greg's words, the words that lead her to approach Amethyst in the first place.  
She found herself sitting back down, not yet ready to forfeit the space between them.

Amethyst looked over as she felt the weight on the log increase.  
Peridot sat, twiddling her thumbs, as she debated with herself on how to bring the thoughts she held forward to Amethyst.  
"Peridot?" Amethyst asked.  
"I spoke with Greg earlier. He informed me that emotional intimacy is extremely important in relationships. I realize that we haven’t known one another for very long, however, I do believe that we are well acquainted enough to be honest with one another." Peridot started. She took a deep breath. "Amethyst, please, tell me what you were going to say back in the barn?" Peridot asked.

Amethyst's eyes drew back to the ground. She couldn't do this- not now, she thought.  
There was no way that she could elaborate on that thought process, not when she was so close to losing it. She had to find a way out of this.  
"Nothing. I wasn't going to say anything." Amethyst replied.

"So...I make you feel nothing?" Peridot asked.

 _Oh no, that isn't what I meant,_ Amethyst thought.

  
Amethyst quickly turned her face toward Peridot.  
"Wait, no! Peridot that's not what I meant." Amethyst said.

  
"Well, what did you mean? This entire evening has been so confusing. I thought..I thought that I understood or was at least starting to understand but I don't think I do anymore as it's proving more and more difficult." Peridot said as she clenched her stockings, digging her fingers mercilessly into them.

"I don't know what it is I'm doing wrong...I wish that someone would just tell me." Peridot said.

 _You aren't doing anything wrong! Tell her that she isn't doing anything wrong!_  

Amethyst's lips parted but no sound escaped. Her voice had betrayed her. It killed her to see Peridot like this, so small, so unsure, so hopeless. She wanted to protect her but she could barely take care of herself.

Amethyst suddenly felt a stream of tears begin to flood from her eyes. She realized then that Peridot had been describing the exact same feeling that she had been experiencing too.

Peridot looked to her left, surprised to see the teary-eyed gem beside her.  
"Amethyst?" she asked. She reached her hand out.

The two gems heard an abrupt rustle start behind them. They both looked around to see a mysterious figure that had been lurking in the outskirts of the field that surrounded the barn. The figure crept closer, slowly revealing itself as it stood upright. Amethyst wiped her face and squinted her eyes to try to make out a face, but the person was wearing a mask and couldn't be distinguished. 

Amethyst couldn't keep herself together any longer, she was coming apart, and right in front of Peridot. The seams on the strings were being cut right in front of her, and she was powerless to stop them. All of the sadness, the resentment, the anger- it came flooding out in a wave of panic and tears. She had to get away, away from the feelings, away from the mask.   
  
She ran.   
  
"Amethyst?!" Peridot yelled out. She fell backwards off of the log.   
  
Steven and Connie quickly ran to Peridots aid. They had seen the figure as it approached the two gems and were already on their way to shield them from whatever threat there may have been against them.  "Peridot! Are you okay?" Steven asked as he helped her up.   
"Who are you?!" Connie asked.   
  
The three friends all watched as the perpetrator unmasked themselves, exposing them to be non other than beach cities most adored actor/mail deliverer, Jamie.  
  
"JAMIE!?" Steven and Connie yelled. Jamie smiled out at the two friends. Peridot stood behind Steven and meekly looked over his shoulder as she observed the human who had overwhelmed her.    
  
"Jamie! I didn't think that you were coming!" Steven said. 

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have missed this. I did spend a little more time getting ready than I would have liked but, fashionably late, as they say!" Jamie said as he chuckled.  
"Oh boy, I sure hope that I didn't scare your friend too badly." Jamie said, referring to Amethyst who among the mayhem that Jamie had caused, had slipped away without a trace.   
  
 "Amethyst?" Peridot called out. She looked behind her, hoping for a sign of where the purple gem had gone.   
Steven followed suit. He and Connie began calling Amethyst's name and looking around the perimeter of the barn but none of them had any idea where Amethyst had run off to. 

  
  
While chaos was ensuing outside of the barn, those inside the barn were battling a few demons of their own.

 

"Alright, what's all of this about then?" Garnet asked.  
She towered over Pearl and Greg as she awaited their response, expecting each to differ from the other.  
"Well, as you know, earlier this evening Amethyst and I got into a little bit of a disagreement." Pearl said.  
"Disagreement is putting it lightly." Greg interjected.  
Pearl scoffed. "I'm sorry, did Garnet ask you what happened?" Pearl asked.  
"She asked both of us!" Greg shouted.  
"Enough! We aren't going to get anywhere with you talking over one another. Greg, why don't you go first. You said that Steven was worried about all of us." Garnet said.  
Pearl crossed her arms, offended that Garnet had allowed Greg to speak first.

Greg nodded. "It's true. I think it started right after we got here when he first witnessed Pearl and Amethyst arguing. Then, I saw him watch while Pearl and Peridot got into it. Peridot stormed off, I think that really threw him over the edge. I'm glad that he didn't see Pearl and Amethyst get into it after that."

"You and Amethyst had another argument after the one outside the barn?" Garnet asked.  
"Well...yes." Pearl said. Pearl uncrossed her arms, allowing them to hang hopelessly at her sides. "That's why I asked if you had seen her, Garnet. I was going to apologize-"

"I think it's gonna take more than an apology to fix this, Pearl." Greg said.

"How do you know? You weren't even there!" Pearl shouted.  
"No, but I saw what happened. She stormed out after whatever you said to her!" Greg shouted back.  
"Keep it down!" Garnet said. She was at her wits end but tried her best to keep her composure. "Now, Pearl. What exactly did you say to Amethyst?" she asked.

A deep frown surfaced on Pearl's face. She clutched her arm and she relayed the dialogue.  
"Pearl..." Greg said, shocked at what he had heard. He had imagined it had been bad, but not that bad.  
Garnet stayed silent.  
"I really messed up, Garnet." Pearl said.

"It's not as bad as it could have been." Garnet said. She imagined all of the hypothetical timelines that swirled around in the pool of her mind. She hoped that this timeline had a path with a way out.

"It's still pretty bad." Greg mumbled.  
"Greg, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Pearl and I will take care of this." Garnet said. With that, she and Pearl began to walk back towards the exit of the barn.

Normally, Greg would have been happy with that response from the gems. But this time things were different. He had something nagging at him and he knew that he had to get it off of his chest.

"Wait! I..have to say something. This has been on my mind all night. Please, hear me out." Greg pleaded. Garnet and Pearl exchanged a quick glance and turned back to Greg.

"Look, I know that I'm not here all the time so I don't see everything that goes on but after what I have seen tonight, I think I really need to say something...You two need to go easy on Amethyst. I know she can be thoughtless and irresponsible from time to time and that must be hard to deal with but you two can be really hard to please. I would know..." Greg said. His eyes stayed focused on the floor of the barn as his hands fidgeted at his sides.

"There have been times in the past where I've wished you weren't so hard on me. That kind of pressure to always be perfect, or worry if you aren't good enough..it can be hard to take and it can make you feel generally pretty bad about yourself. It's isolating. There have been times where I've barely felted included, I mean, you guys didn't even bother telling me about the theme you all had tonight."

Pearl and Garnet looked down at their costumes, then to one another. They had been so oblivious to the things that Greg was telling them, even Garnet.

"Anyway, my point is, I can imagine how Amethyst must feel tonight, coming from someone who's been there. So, go easy on her. She tries...she doesn't always get it right but she does try." Greg finished.

"We're sorry, Greg." Pearl said.  
Greg quickly lifted his head up to see Pearl and Garnet in front of him.  
"We..we didn't mean to make you feel isolated." Pearl continued.  
Garnet laid a hand on his shoulder. "We appreciate you, Greg. Truly. You are a part of Steven, and a major part of his life. We should have never made you feel as though you weren't welcome in ours. Next time, we'll make sure you know about the theme." Garnet said.  
Greg was taken aback by the gems kind words. He wasn't trying to prey any sort of apology out of them but the fact that they had swallowed their pride and done so meant so much to him. He only hoped that Amethyst would be as willing to forgive them as he was.  
"Thank you, Pearl, Garnet. That..means a lot to me." Greg said.  
Garnet smiled down at him.

Garnet turned her head towards Pearl. "You know what we have to do now." she said. Pearl nodded.  
  
Garnet opened the door of the barn and was greeted with the distraught face of Steven.   
"Dad! Garnet! Pearl!" he shouted. 

"Steven! What's wrong?!" Greg asked. He rushed from the barn to his sons side.  
 "It's Amethyst. She's missing." Steven told him.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this chapter really sets up the next one, which will be the final (possibly- I THINK it will anyway) chapter of this fic! I'm excited and also sad because I've really liked writing this and hearing some of the feedback from some of ya'll. 
> 
> The whole Jamie/Mask parallel was originally planned in an entirely different way but I kind of like how it turned out. What did you think? I hope it had the effect that I was going for.


	7. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet and Pearl leave to find Amethyst while Greg stays behind and has a very interesting conversation with Peridot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SMOKES. I am so sorry for not updating this fic. Most of this chapter has been finished for awhile but life has been so stressful/tiring, the editing took a century. Anyways, enjoy!!

"Do you have any idea where she could have gone?" Greg asked.  
Steven shook his head no. "We looked all over!" he told his father.  
"Where could she be?" Connie asked.  
Her, Steven, and Peridot had looked all around the barn but were still unable to find Amethyst.  
Everyone was starting to grow concerned, especially Peridot, who had seen Amethyst just before she ran away and knew how upset she was.

"I don't know. I'm starting to get worried." Steven said.

Pearl walked over to Steven and placed a kind hand on his back. She patted it comfortingly. "Don't worry, Steven. Garnet and I will find her," she said.  
Garnet took Pearls lead as they began to walk away from the barn and into the small fields outside.

  
Greg stood up and looked down at Steven and Connie. Their faces were both overwrought with worry.  
"I know you're both upset but there's not much we can do now. I'm sure that Garnet and Pearl will be back soon with Amethyst, she couldn't have gone far. In the meantime, why don't you two teach me how to make some of those s'mores?" Greg asked, attempting to lighten the mood.  
It was clear that this Halloween night was not turning out the way that anyone had planned.

Steven nodded his head in resign. He and Connie soon made their way back to the bonfire. As Greg turned to join them, he saw a glimpse of Peridot as she stood solemnly with her back turned away from the light of the fire. She stared out at the quiet fields of the barn.

"Hey, Peridot? Steven and Connie are gonna show me how to make some mean s'mores. Do you wanna join us?" Greg asked as he approached the sullen gem.

Peridot didn't respond.  
She instead kept her eyes glued to the fields. The clouds that kept the moon hidden had tossed a veil over the entire barn. Peridot squinted her eyes trying to look for any sign of motion by the fields but the only movement that occurred was caused by the mild wind, which blew the grass of the pasture ever gently.

She sighed.  
Amethyst was really gone.  
  
"This is my fault," she said.  
"What do you mean? How?" Greg asked confused.

"I..I'm the one who made her upset," Peridot said. She was trying her hardest but couldn't hold back the small tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"Peridot, no you aren't," Greg said.

"Yes! Yes, I am." Peridot shouted as she turned to face the man.  
She clenched her fists so hard she had started to dig her fingers into her palm.

She quickly let go and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
"I told her that she needed to be honest with me and then she ran off!"

"Honest with you? About what?" Greg asked. He walked closer toward the tearful gem.

Peridot let out a deep sigh. "I tried to explain to her what you told me, about emotional intimacy and letting those who understand you in."

"I see...but Peridot, that was really more about romantic relationships," Greg said. He couldn't help but grin at Peridots confession.

Peridot was perplexed. "Romantic?" she asked. Greg gave her a subtle nod. "Yeah, you know like when you have feelings for another person," Greg explained.

"How do you know if you have these romantic feelings for someone?" Peridot asked.

Greg blushed.  
"Oh geez. Well, I guess it's different for everyone but generally it's when you're happy being around someone who you like. It's really unmistakable. It's _electric_." Greg struggled to find the words to properly to describe the complex feelings Peridot so desperately wanted to understand.

"Someone who makes you feel electric..." she said to herself.  
_Oh,_ she thought.  
That's what all of those feelings from earlier tonight were. That wasn't fear towards Amethyst, that was... _attraction_.  
She felt a sudden sense of relief as this realization hit her but that was soon taken away when she recalled the events from just moments earlier.

Peridot frowned. "Well, I asked how Amethyst felt about me and she said nothing."

"I'm sure that Amethyst didn't-"  
_Oh_ , Greg thought. He was finally starting to catch on.  
He looked to Peridot. He could read her anguish by her body language alone; Her arms hung lifelessly at her sides while she slouched looking down at the ground.

Greg a step closer to her.  
"And how do you feel about Amethyst?" Greg asked.  
Peridot looked up at him.

"Amethyst makes me feel..everything," Peridot responded.  
Greg kneeled down to Peridot's level. "Peridot, this is not your fault. Amethyst isn't upset because of how you made her feel, she's upset because of how she feels about herself. She doesn't want anyone to know she's upset so she ran off. But I'm sure that once she talks to Garnet and Pearl that she'll come back. Ask her again then." he said.

Peridot looked at Greg. His heartwarming advice left her with a feeling of hope and reassurance, feelings which at this point in the night felt almost foreign to the gem.  
"Thank you, Greg," Peridot said. She flashed a warm smile at Greg. "No problem, Peridot," Greg replied.

Greg stood up. He peered over his shoulder towards Connie and Steven who sat in front of the bonfire.  
"Well, how about we keep those two company? It looks like they need it." Greg said.

Peridot nodded. She started to walk back towards the fire but stopped midstep.  
"Wait. Greg, I have another question." Peridot said.  
"What's that?" Greg asked.

"What if...what if she doesn't reciprocate?" Peridot asked. She looked up to the man with much trepidation as she awaited his response.  
"Then...you'll have your answer. But you'll never know unless you ask." Greg said.

Peridot understood. She followed suit as Greg walked her back to the light of the warm fire.

"Mr. Greg, I uh, have one final question."  
Greg looked at the gem curiously. "Yes?"  
"What's a s'more and why is it mean?" Peridot asked.  
Greg chuckled. "Just follow me," he said.

 

Meanwhile, in the rustling fields outside the barn, Garnet patiently followed Pearl as they searched for Amethyst.  
Pearl pushed the pieces of wild plain out of her path with Garnet not far behind. It had been at least twenty minutes since Amethyst had gone missing.  
She watched as Pearl looked frantically around the pasture.

"She can't be far, right?" Pearl asked as she used her spear to slice another bushel of crops out of their path.

Garnet said nothing, she knew that Pearl wasn't actually asking her but rather voicing her conflicting thoughts aloud. Garnet merely served as an audience.  
Garnet also knew that Pearl was carrying an immense sense of guilt over how she had treated Amethyst, and wondered if Pearl's emotions had affected her sense of direction as Garnet observed Pearl lead them in circles around the field.

Suddenly, Pearl's footsteps came to a stop.  
"Does this seem familiar to you?" Pearl asked. This time, the question was actually directed at the red gem.

"Yes," Garnet replied.  
Pearl clutched the bridge of her nose in frustration.  
"Pearl, your emotions have overwhelmed you. You've been taking us in circles. You have to calm down." Garnet stretched her arm out to place a hand on Pearl's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"I can't!! I have to find her!" Pearl shouted. She pulled away from the red gem so swiftly that she had fallen and landed herself in a pile of grass, made from the trimmings of the plains she had cut down earlier.  
Garnet reached her hand out to Pearl.  
"And WE will find her but it isn't going to be of any help if we don't direct our focus in the right direction...or any direction at this point."

"You don't understand. This is all my fault, Garnet." Pearl said.  
Pearl leaned her head onto the rod of her spear. She looked down at the ground, covered in piles of sliced blades of grass and fallen plains.  
"No, it's not," Garnet said. Pearl cocked her head to the side and looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" Pearl asked.  
"You heard what Greg said. This was a long time coming."

"Even so. I played my part in it." Pearl was becoming exasperated at this point. She just needed to find Amethyst, she thought. She had to fix this.  
"Do you know where she is?" Pearl asked.  
Garnet nodded.  
"You let me take us in circles all this time!? Why?" Pearl demanded to know.  
  
"Because...I should have seen it." Garnet said.  
"It isn't all of your fault, Pearl. I'm just as responsible as you are." 

In this moment, Pearl realized that Garnet's guilt, although not as palpable as her own, was just as deep. 

"Let's go then." Pearl lifted her hand up and allowed Garnet to help her up from the mess she had created.  
She brushed herself off, allowing the pieces to fall where they may on the beaten path.  
"Let's fix this, together." 

  
Garnet's future vision showed the gems that not only had Amethyst run past the fields but she had run into the woods just beyond them.  
Garnet and Pearl spotted Amethyst sitting alone against a large oak tree. Her arms drooped over her knees as her head hung low facing the ground. Her eyes were shut, locked tight by dried tears shed from earlier that night. Next to her in a wrinkled heap was her discarded costume.   
"Amethyst." The two called gently.

Amethyst's eyes shot open at the sounds of their voices. She looked around aimlessly for those responsible until her eyes caught the silhouettes of Garnet and Pearl, illuminated by the smallest amount of moonlight that managed to escape from the clouds that drifted above.

"What are you two doing here?!" Amethyst yelled.  
She tried to stand up but her legs wouldn't allow it. She stumbled backwards hitting her head against the tree. Amethyst groaned in agony while Garnet and Pearl stepped closer.  
"Stay back!" Amethyst shouted at them. Amethyst had thought that the woods be a perfect place to hide. Concealed by the dark shadows that the trees cast, combined with the night sky, she assumed she would be well hidden. She wasn't expecting anyone to find her. She especially wasn't expecting Garnet and Pearl to find her. But there they were, just feet away from her now. What did they want? Amethyst asked herself. Were they going to reprimand her for interrupting the bonfire? Hadn't she suffered enough already? Apparently not, she thought. Amethyst gripped at the bark of the tree as she struggled to regain her composure.

  
"Amethyst!" Pearl shouted.  
"We've been looking for you," Garnet said.  
Amethyst rolled her eyes, they were stinging now and swollen, no doubt from all of the crying she had been doing. "Well, you found me. Now leave me alone." Amethyst said.  
"Amethyst," Garnet called again. She took another step toward the purple gem.  
"Stop!" Amethyst shrieked, her voice strained and lips trembling.  
"Please, just...just go away."

Garnet watched as the tears fell from Amethyst's eyes onto the forest floor.  
Amethyst's tears were an ocean and she was the storm. There was no controlling her now.  
"I don't know what you want from me!" Amethyst screamed. She flung her arm out, knocking it into the tree nearest to her.  
The blow hit the tree like lightning, sudden and powerful. A large crack appeared in the center of the oak.  
"Amethyst, stop!" Garnet yelled. But Amethyst heard nothing.  
The only sounds that she heard were Pearl's words which played in her mind over and over like a broken record. "I asked you both to leave me alone. I don't understand why you can't do this one thing for me, after everything that I've tried to do for you! But no matter what I did, it wasn't good enough. I'm never going to be good enough for you, am I?!"

Amethyst drew her whip, she stepped out from under the tree and swung it at the center, slicing the tree in half.

"Pearl!" Garnet yelled as a warning for her to move out of the way. Pearl leapt from the trees path. The old oak fell, causing a barrier between Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst.  
"Now, stay away!" Amethyst screamed. She turned her back from them and ran deeper into the woods.

"Amethyst!" Pearl called out. 

Amethyst wasn't the fastest crystal gem, but it seemed that her motivation for escape was enough to carry her away from the sight of Garnet and Pearl.

  
Garnet and Pearl exchanged a concerned look for their teammate.  
They leapt from the ground in an attempt to catch up to Amethyst.  
They managed to catch a glimpse of the purple gem as she climbed up one of the many other oak trees and sprung to another deeper into the forest.

"Where is she going?" Pearl asked, landing on one of the many treetops that peeked from the forest.  
Garnet joined her on the treetop opposite to hers.  
"I don't know," Garnet answered.  
The two began to jump from tree top to tree top looking desperately for the purple gem.  
The were traveling faster than their bodies could carry them.

"I don't understand. What do you mean you don't know?" Pearl asked.

"I can't see!" Garnet shouted. The words rang true as she lifted her hand to adjust her glasses and accidentally fell through a gap in the branches of the tree she stood upon.

"Garnet!" Pearl shrieked.  
  
Amethyst could hear the cry from her place in the woods.  
"I've got you, Garnet!" Pearl said as she grabbed hold of Garnets hand. She hoisted the red gem up onto the safety of a long thick branch.  
Garnet finished adjusting her glasses.  
"It's no use," Garnet said.  
"What do you mean?" Pearl asked.  
Garnet sighed.  
"If Amethyst won't listen to us then there's no point trying to speak to her."  
Pearl furrowed her brow in disbelief at the red gems words.  
"What?! But Garnet, we can't go back now. We have to try! We have to talk to her! I have to talk to her!" Pearl said.

"Why?" Garnet asked.

"Why?! Why..because I have to-I have to tell her that..that...I'm sorry."  
Pearls eyes fell sadly to her feet.

"Sorry for what?" Garnet asked.

"I'm sorry for tonight. For how I talked to her, for embarrassing her, for making her feel ashamed. I'm sorry for it all- for everything I've done."

"And?" Garnet inquired.

"I want to tell her that she's perfect the way she is and doesn't have to prove anything to me or any gem."

Garnet stood up.  
"And I want to tell her that I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for being so thoughtless in my actions and careless with my words. I know I played a part in tonight by not being there. There are a lot of things that I wish I had done differently if only I had opened my eyes sooner." Garnet spoke out loudly as if to an audience.  
  
Pearl looked around at the many trees searching for a break in the stillness of the branches and leaves.  
It wasn't long until she heard the distinct sound of a twig snapping on the forest floor below them. Garnet and Pearl looked down to see that they indeed did have an audience, that Amethyst had been listening to them all along.

Garnet and Pearl pounced onto the ground. Amethyst stood in front of them now. She clutched her arms nervously as she stepped further into the light of moons rays shining down on the three of them.

"Amethyst." Garnet and Pearl said.  
Amethyst squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the light.  
"I'm sorry too," Amethyst said.   
Garnet and Pearl immediately bent down and wrapped their arms around her. Although taken aback by the warm embrace, Amethyst eased into the hug as she finally allowed her emotions to surface. She wept long hard cries onto the shoulders of Garnet and Pearl as they held her close.

Amethyst pulled her face away to look at theirs.  
"I guess I made a big deal out of nothing," Amethyst said.

"No," Garnet said.  
"If it matters to you then it matters to us."  
Pearl nodded.  
"Amethyst, please. If there's anything else that you need to tell us, we want to know." Pearl said.  
"We're here to listen. We're here for you." Garnet said.

"It's..it's just..."  
Garnet and Pearl stared intently at the purple gem.  
"It just all got to me tonight," Amethyst said.

"What did?" Pearl asked.  
"Everything. Feelings."

"What kind of feelings?" Garnet asked.

Amethyst groaned. Opening herself up was harder than she had expected. The thought occurred to her to continue the charade that her feelings were no big deal but that option suddenly felt like a betrayal. Not to Garnet and Pearl but to Amethyst herself and what she knew to be true.

She stayed silent, as Garnet and Pearl started back at her, awaiting a response.

There was no more running away. 

"I feel...inadequate. Like, no matter what I do it isn't ever enough. Like I'M never enough. Like..sometimes maybe you guys would be better off without me." Amethyst said. Her eyes gravitated averted to the ground.  
  
So there it was, she thought. The thoughts that she had kept hidden for so long were released. She wondered what it would feel like now that their cage had been opened. 

"Amethyst, we would not be better off without you. We're better with you." Garnet said.

Amethyst's head perked up.

"Amethyst, we followed you here because we wanted you to know how sorry we are. We never meant to make you feel as if we didn't support you. " Pearl said.

"We love you, not in spite of who you are but because of who you are," Garnet said.

Amethyst's only response was to pull Pearl and Garnet in for another hug.  
"I love you guys too," Amethyst said.

The clouds began to part, revealing a well-lit path through the forest back to the fields that lead to the barn.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOD NEWS, there is one more chapter after this one and it's the gayest. be prepared.


	8. The next step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst and Peridot finally reveal their true feelings for one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN ME SO LONG TO POST.  
> I really wanted to get this up before Halloween so if there are any typos or anything I'm sorry and I will sort them out in the morning! With that being said ENJOY

The three crystal gems arrived back at the barn.

The Bonfire was still well under way, despite the interruption and worry that plead the thoughts of the party goers. Amethyst could see the bright faces of her friends as they sat with Greg in front of the fire, stacking chocolate on graham crackers.

"What do you think kids? Does this look like the biggest tower of s'mores you've ever seen or what?" Greg asked, revealing to Steven and Connie what could only be described as "a mess" comprised of graham crackers stacked on melted marshmallow coated in the ooiest of gooiest milk chocolate.

Steven was fairly impressed with his fathers creation. Connie held her hand over her mouth in surprise. "Are you gonna eat that Mr. Universe?" she asked.  
Greg shook his head. "I don't know. It looks a little big for me, I think I may need some help."

  
"I'll take it off your hands."  
A voice spoke from behind the friends.

"Amethyst!!" Steven yelled leaping from the dirt. He rushed to her side and threw his arms around her, locking her in a tight embrace.  
 "What a relief! We were so worried about you!" Steven said. Amethyst stroked his head gently. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be sorry! Where were you? Why did you leave? Where's your costume?" Steven asked. The questions spilled out of his mouth with concern. 

"Wow wow wow, now," Amethyst said. She snickered at Steven's persistence.  
"Those are a lot of questions. Why don't we start with just one and work our way up." 

Garnet strode up to the two of them. She put a protective hand on one of Amethyst's shoulders. "Amethyst has had a long night. We should let her relax." Garnet said.    
Steven nodded with understanding. He looked to Amethyst.   
  
"I'm just glad you're back." he said.

"So are we," Garnet said. Both she and Pearl stood behind Amethyst now. Pearl's hand rested quietly on Amethyst's other shoulder. 

"So are we!!" Connie shouted as she joined Steven and the gems. They all smiled happily before breaking out into a bellow of sincere laughter.    
"Does this mean that we can get the party started again?" Connie asked. She looked to the gems hopefully, her eyes large and bright. 

Steven looked to Amethyst who gave a quick nod. "We'll be there in a minute, Pearl said as she took Amethyst by the shoulder.  
Garnet let Steven and Connie show her to their spot in front of the fire.

"Amethyst, I do hope that what happened between us hasn't ruined your evening," Pearl said with concern. She still had her misgivings about the night, despite already apologizing to Amethyst.   
Amethyst shook her head. "No, Pearl, it's okay. I forgive you."  
Pearls face curled into a smile. Amethyst's face, however, seemed to curve into a frown as her eyes panned down to the ground.  
"It wasn't just you or Garnet, you know  that what happened tonight was coming for a long time." It was because of this realization, that Amethyst knew the real work towards recovery would begin with herself and herself alone. 

Pearl looked to her right. She saw Greg standing next to Steven and Connie. Peridot sat still on the log in front of the fire, peering in their direction.  
"I know," she said. "Garnet and I had a talk with someone who helped us figure it out." 

"Who?" Amethyst asked curiously, her eyes shot up from the ground at Pearl.

"You'd be surprised but it was actually Greg. " Pearl revealed.  
Amethyst was indeed surprised.  "Greg?" she asked, dumbfounded. 

Greg had been one of the people that Amethyst had the most emotional baggage with. It seemed ironic to her that he could be the person to help unpack the thoughts she had kept a secret from Pearl and Garnet after all these years. She stood still in astonishment, lost in thought. 

Peridot watched as Amethyst and Pearl talked, turned away from the rest of the party. 

When Peridot had first seen Amethyst approaching the barn, she felt as if her entire body took a deep breath. The relief was indescribable and she was overjoyed that she had arrived home safe, however, she had no idea what to say to her. Their last encounter had been less than successful, and now that Peridot knew her true feelings towards the purple gem, everything seemed even more complicated. She looked to Greg for support.  
"Greg!! She's back! What should I do? What should I say?" Peridot panicked.  
"We've already been over this, Peridot. You just have to be direct." Greg said.  
"I can't do it!" Peridot said throwing her face into her hands.

Greg could hear the fear in her voice as she coward in front of him. He knew it would be up to him to get this ship sailing. 

"How about I go over and tell Amethyst that you have something to tell her." Greg offered.  
"Very well," Peridot said. She didn't say it, but Greg could tell how relieved she was. Her body had slowly stopped trembling as she lifted her face from her hands. 

With Peridots consent, Greg approached Amethyst.  
  
"Hey there, Amethyst, glad you're back! Everyone was really worried." Greg said.   
"Oh, Greg!" Amethyst jerked toward him. He stood staring down at her with a small smile sat across his face. "I'm sorry about that." Amethyst said. 

"No no, it's okay. We're all just happy you're safe." Greg said. He scratched his head nervously.   
Pearl's eyes shot between the two of them. She left the two to talk amongst themselves.  

"Thanks, Greg," Amethyst said once Pearl had reached the others gathered around the bonfire.  
Greg smiled down at the gem which was meant to be read as a silent "of course".   
"And uh thanks for talking to Garnet and Pearl." Amethyst continued.

Greg was caught off guard.  
"Pearl told me," Amethyst admitted.   
"Oh! It was-...you're welcome." Greg said. He looked down at Amethysts face, framed by the locks of her long gray hair.  He remembered years ago when she had first started growing it out. It's funny how so much can change, he thought.  
  
"I know how it feels you know, to feel like you aren't good enough."

"It's not a good feeling," Amethyst said.

"No, it's not. And no one deserves to feel that way. That's why I had to say something to Garnet and Pearl."

"I'm glad you did." Amethyst smiled.

Greg smiled back at her. The two of them had a complicated past but none of that seemed to matter. In this moment, it was just two friends leaning on one another for support. Amethyst had such gratitude for Greg, she wasn't sure how but she would try to make it up to him.  
"If there's anything I can do, you know, to pay you back. Lemme know." she said.

Greg looked behind him. "If you're up for it, I know someone else who has been wanting to talk with you." Greg said.

He moved aside so that Amethyst had a clear view of the green gem, still sat patiently on the log in front of the bonfire.   
She looked so beautiful encapsulated by the light of the flames. Amethyst took a few timid steps forward until she stood in front of Peridot.  
"Amethyst!" Peridot jolted up.  
"Are you alright? Everyone was so worried. I was the most concerned, of course. Well..anyway, I'm glad that you're back."  
Amethyst smiled, she could tell how nervous Peridot was by the way that her attention leapt from one train of thought to another. Little did Peridot know that all of her quirks read as nothing less than adorable to Amethyst.

"Me too." Amethyst said.

"So, Greg told me that you wanted to talk to me?" Amethyst asked.  
She could only imagine what it could be about. Greg hadn't specified so her mind was left to play and replay all of the hypothetical situations she could think of.

"Yes! I did. Listen, Amethyst, I uh-"  
Peridot could not bring herself to make direct eye contact with the purple gem. She looked around instead at the many lit faces of the party goers. Their loud chatter made it difficult for Peridot to organize her thoughts.  
  
"Do you wanna go somewhere else to talk?" Amethyst asked.  
Peridot gave a slow nod.  
  
Pearl couldn't help but notice as the two gems began leaving together.  
"Where are those two going?" she asked.  
"They've got some stuff to work out. I wouldn't worry about it." Greg said.  
"Garnet?" Pearl looked to the red gem to get her opinion.   
Garnet adjusted her visor. The reflection of the flames made it looked as though she had a fire in her eyes. "Let's leave them be. Besides, we still haven't made our s'mores." 

  
Amethyst and Peridot walked together side by side to find a quiet place where they wouldn't be disturbed.  
They settled on a convenient spot behind the barn. It was close enough where they would have privacy but not far enough away to raise any concerns.

  
Amethyst sat down on the cool grass. She patted the ground next to her motioning Peridot to join her.  
As Peridot sat down, her thoughts came rushing back to her full volume. She contemplated how she would go about confessing her feelings to Amethyst.  
Everything about the night was so new and strange, even she still didn't quite understand the attraction she had for Amethyst, as much as she wanted to. She wondered how she could possibly begin to explain it to Amethyst. It didn't help that she had no indication as to how if Amethyst felt about her either.  
All of these thoughts swirled round and round in a whirlpool of anxiety inside of Peridot.

She had faced many things that night, but this seemed like the scariest.

Suddenly, Amethyst broke the silence between them.  
"Peridot, before you say anything, I just want to tell you that I'm sorry."  
"Huh?" The unexpected apology broke the thought loops in her mind.   
"For what?" she asked. 

"For leaving you alone at the barn tonight, not just once but twice. I know I hurt your feelings and you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry." Amethyst said. Amethyst nervously picked at the blades of grass, pulling and ripping them from their roots one by one.

"Oh. That's okay." Peridot said.

"It is?" Amethyst asked in shock. Peridot shrugged.  
"But I totally bailed on you."

"It's okay, really. I just...hope that I wasn't the cause of you leaving." Peridot said.

"No, you weren't. Ah geez. I'm even more sorry if you thought that you were. I know what it feels like to be abandoned..it's awful. I'm really sorry if made you feel that way."

Peridot placed her hand on top of Amethyst's. "Thank you." she said.

The two both smiled at one another, their cheeks were flush and hot.  
"If I may ask if it wasn't me, why was it that you left?" Peridot asked.

"Oh. Well, that's where things get a little more complicated." Amethyst said.  
Peridot laughed. "Ha! I think that I'm more than capable of understanding complex solutions. "  
Amethyst smirked. "I don't doubt that. It's just...I don't think it will make sense to you."   
"Allow me to be the judge of that." Peridot said.   
Amethyst looked down at their hands, Peridot's was still gently pressed against hers.   
"Amethyst?" Peridot called.   
"Go on."   
  
Amethyst took a deep breath.   
"Okay, well you asked for it. I guess the easiest way to explain it is that I've been holding in a lot of stuff. A lot...emotions. I've been really angry since Rose..." her voiced trailed off for a moment. After clearing her throat, she managed to bring it back. "Since it was just Pearl, Garnet and me." Amethysts eyes drifted to the night sky. The weather had finally started to clear up and she could see the few bright stars that peeked their faces out at them.  
"She was like one of the few people to ever really get me, ya know? After she left, it felt like I didn't really have anyone and then it started to feel like I couldn't be myself. Everyone expected me to be someone- someone that I wasn't. I don't know...it's hard when you feel like you don't belong." Peridot listened as the vocal fry in Amethysts voice intensified with every word.  
 "All of that pressure, it made me feel really bad about myself. It made me want to escape. So I did. Or at least I tried to for awhile or pretend that everything was okay, but it wasn't. That's why I left tonight. It all just got to be too much. I've spent so much time trying to keep people out, I just got scared when I thought about letting someone in."   
  
Amethyst looked to Peridot who looked lost in space. "Ah, geez. This probably isn't making any sense, is it?"  
"On the contrary. I think I get you." Peridot said.   
"What do you mean?" Amethyst asked.   
"You said that you thought that Rose was one of the few people to ever 'get you' but I think that I do. I understand what you mean when you talk about not belonging. Earth isn't exactly what I'm used to...and I definitely know how it feels to be afraid. So, I hope that you'll consider me one of the select people to 'get' you." Peridot made quotation marks with her fingers, which was just one of the very many things that was so endearing about her response. 

Amethyst was speechless. She felt as a blush surfaced upon her cheeks.   
"Thank you, Peridot."   
Peridot smiled at her. "Of course," Peridot continued. "if my conclusion is incorrect then I will try my hardest to understand."   
Amethyst snickered. "I think you're doing a pretty good job so far."   
  
The mask of clouds above had finally begun to be pulled away enough to see the face of the moon.   
"Amethyst?"   
"Yeah, Per?"   
"How do you feel now?" she asked.   
"I guess I feel better now that things have been worked out with Garnet and Pearl. I know that it's gonna take time though."   
"No, I mean..about me."   
Amethyst turned to face Peridot. Her face was a deep cerulean blue.   
  
"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" Amethyst asked.

Peridot nodded. She sat with arms hung over her bent knees. She wanted so much to be the confident gem that she had proved herself to be earlier that night but Amethyst was so intimidating, she found herself recoiled at the notion of revealing her affections. She couldn't bring herself to look at Amethysts face.  
  
"I wanted to ask you before..but..you had other matters to attend to."   
  
"I see."  
  
Peridot prepared herself for her inevitable rejection. Even though she had not even confessed her feelings, her fears would not allow her to convince herself of any other possible outcomes.   
  
"I think you're great, Peridot."   
Peridot turned her face toward Amethyst. "You do?" she questioned.  
  
Well, that's a start, Peridot thought. But it didn't confirm or deny Amethysts romantic feelings for her.  
"Is that all?" Peridot asked timidly.   
"No. It's not. I wanted to tell you, how I really felt about you, back in the barn but I was scared." Amethyst confessed.  
"And now? How are you feeling now?"   
"I'm feeling...brave." Amethyst said.   
  
"Brave", Peridot thought. That word seemed to be a reoccurring theme of the night. She began to ponder the true meaning behind it and if she would ever be able to truly apply it to herself. She looked to Amethyst, who in Peridot's opinion has always been a gem that encompassed the definition. However, much to Peridot's surprise, it turned out that Amethyst had felt just the opposite for most of the night. Perhaps, their emotional states weren't so despairingly different after all. Still, she couldn't bring herself to make the first move.   
  
  
Amethyst on the other hand, had been running rampantly from her emotions for most of the night, yet here she was now sitting next to the gem who evoked some of the most intense feelings she had ever come across. It was now or never, she thought. She was ready to unveil the truth she kept hidden. There was more no running away.   
  
Amethyst closed her eyes tight as the words escaped her mouth.  
"I like you." she said.   
  
The words danced around Peridot's head for a moment. Once they settled, she replied with "Oh.".  
  
Amethysts eyes peeked open. She cocked her head to the side "Oh?" she asked.   
Did she not hear me correctly? Amethyst wondered. Maybe I misspoke. Should I say it again? No, that would be weird. This is so weird. Why did I tell her that I liked her, oh geez. This was a mistake, a big fat mistake-

  
"I like you too?"   
"Is that a question?" Amethyst asked. She was slowly but surely losing the confidence she had built up.  
"No. I'm just a bit confused. I thought...did you not like me until today?"   
"What?! No! Of course not. I liked you way before today, we're friends." Amethyst explained.  
"Of course. I suppose I'm just a bit confused as to why you would feel the need to tell me that now."   
Amethyst put her hands over her face is utter frustration at the situation she had found herself in.  
"Let's rewind. What I meant to say, Peridot, was that I like like you."   
Round two, Amethyst thought. Let's see how this goes.  
  
"Huh?" Peridot asked, even more confused.  
"UGH! I like you as in a romantic way! Like, what's that stupid show that you and Steven watch?" she asked.  
"Are you referencing Camp Pining Hearts?" Peridot asked.  
"Yes! That one. I like you like the characters in that show like one another. Percy and whoever." Amethyst explained.   
  
  
"Pierre." Peridot replied. Then a thought struck her. "Oh...Ohhh." Peridot had finally understood and with that understanding came the sudden realization that Peridot's confession affection was not unrequited.   
The silliest grin appeared on her face as she stared intently at Amethyst.   
"What? What is it? Are you making fun of me? Because if you are- well I guess I can't stop you. I know- it's silly and you probably don't feel the same way but I had to say something. You asked...anyway..." Amethyst slurred her words as they blended together toward the end of her sentence.   
She stared at the ground, then back to Peridot who's expression remained the same.   
  
"I don't think that I'm as brave as you are." she said.   
Amethyst furrowed her brow. Peridot was wide eyed and focused on Amethysts hand, which she then reached for.   
"Nevertheless, I've wanted to tell you too that I...that I-I like you too." she confessed finally.  
  
Peridot held Amethysts hand in hers. Her eyes shot swiftly up at the purple gems who's were wide and focused on Peridot.   
Amethysts lips began to curve as a smile snuck it's way out. "Like me, or like like me?" Amethyst asked.   
Peridot stared blankly at the purple gem. "AMETHYST!" she yelled, blushing furiously.    
  
"I'm sorry!" Amethyst snickered to herself.   
Peridot sighed. "Like like you." she said.   
 Amethyst was the one blushing now. After all of the internal struggle that she had endured harboring romantic feelings for Peridot, it turned out that Peridot had been doing the same for her. She could hardly believe it. Her default reaction, of course, was to make it a joke which she realized may not have been entirely appropriate given the context.   
"I'm sorry. I hope that I didn't ruin the moment." Amethyst said. 

Peridot had begun to calm down now that everything had started to sink in for the two gems.   
"No, you didn't. Honestly, this went better than I imagined." Peridot said.   
"How's that?" Amethyst asked.   
"Well, in all of my hypotheses, I never imagined that you would have romantic feelings for me."   
Amethyst scoffed. "I didn't think you would like me either." she said. She looked at Peridot's hand, still wrapped fondly around hers. She used her other hand to trace the knuckles of the small green gem. "What do we do now?" Peridot asked.   
Amethyst giggled. "What do you mean?"   
Peridot blushed. "Well, Greg didn't explain to me what happens after I tell you how I feel."   
  
Amethyst burst into laughter. "Wait a second, you asked Greg to give you romantic advice?"   
"Well, yes! He offered. He was actually quite helpful, despite leaving out the next step."   
Amethyst wiped the tears from her eyes. She had laughed so hard that her eyes had begun to water. "Well, I guess it makes sense. He doesn't have terrible luck when it comes to these things. Geez, he's really helped me a lot tonight." Amethyst said.   
  
"Like I said, he's quite helpful." Peridot said.   
Amethyst and Peridot sat in an awkward silence for a few moments while they contemplated their next course of action.   
"I wish that you had told me sooner." Peridot said.  
"Why's that?" Amethyst asked.  
"Because, I could have known what it was like to hold your hand a lot sooner."   
Although she thought it impossible, Amethyst found herself blushing even harder.   
"I guess we should tell eachother stuff more often." she said.   
They both chuckled as they continued to hold hands on the cold grass. They stared up at the night sky.   
"It's really beautiful now that it's clear, isn't it?" Amethyst asked.   
Peridot looked to Amethyst. Her hair blew in the air thanks to the slight breeze that caressed the trees. Amethyst's eyes twinkled just as sweetly as stars in the sky.   
  
"You're beautiful." Peridot said.  
Amethyst looked to her. Peridot stared back. Amethyst felt Peridot's warm hand in hers, she squeezed it gently, bringing it up to her face and placing it on her cheek.   
Peridot eyes followed Amethyst as she leaned in close enough that Peridot could feel Amethysts breath as she whispered the words "This is what we do now."  
  
Amethyst held Peridot's face in her hands. She tilted her head and slowly pressed her lips gently against Peridots. Amethyst could feel Peridot's apprehension in the kiss at first but it seemed to drift away along with all of the anxieties of the night once Peridot allowed herself to experience it. Peridot kept her eyes shut tightly as she felt the smooth fullness of Amethysts lips on hers. She couldn't help but notice the sweet taste of icing on her lips from the cupcakes Amethyst had eaten earlier in the night.   
  
Amethyst soon broke the kiss, keeping her face still just inches away from Peridots. She looked shyly at the green gem. "I've wanted to do that for a really long time."   
Peridots lips curved in a flirtatious smile. "Well, we don't have to stop." she said. She lifted Amethysts chin and planted another kiss onto Amethyst, causing their noses to bump into one another and Amethyst to giggle.   
  
The surge of energy that Peridot had felt earlier that night returned full throttle which she now fully embraced. Every time that Amethyst touched her, she felt lightning and soon became addicted to the power. The two continued planting furious kisses on one another, as Peridot released a soft moan, surprising the both of them. They felt like the moment that they had created between them would last forever as if time had stopped just to allow them this perfect exchange.   
  
The sky was completely clear now, as were the feelings of the two gems.   
They sat still in the grass, with their arms wrapped loosely around one another.   
"I gotta say, you surprised me tonight, Per. All jokes aside, I had no idea you knew how to kiss."   
Peridot smirked. "You underestimated me. I'm not offended, us Peridot's are full of surprises."   
Amethyst giggled. "I'm just shocked at how good you are at it, is all. You know, since it's your first time."   
"How to tie an Ashley Bend knot and safety precautions for kayaking aren't the only things Camp Pining Hearts has taught me."   
  
Amethyst snickered. "You nerd." she said, gently shoving Peridots right shoulder.   
Peridot wrapped her arms around Amethyst tighter. "Maybe I'll show you some more of what I've learned." Peridot joked.   
Amethyst loved the idea, but she knew that if they spent anytime longer behind the barn, the more suspicion they would draw and she was not emotionally prepared for an interrogation.   
"We should probably head back. This Halloween party is really important to Steven, we should be there for him." Amethyst said.   
Peridot scowled. "You're right. Actually, I don't think that you're the only one that has some apologizing to do tonight."  
she said referring to her and Stevens last interaction in the barn. Peridot thought back to how she had projected her anger onto Pearl, and as a result, brought an abrupt end to their bobbing for apples game that Steven had so excitedly run for them. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kiss kiss fall in love


	9. Something new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst and Peridot make amends with the star of the party.  
> Amethyst delivers Connie home in a rather unconventional manner.  
> The Halloween night comes to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this fic!  
> If there are any mistakes, I apologize in advice because I am rushing this post.  
> I will fix them in the morning. Enjoy this Halloween fic, Happy Halloween fellow Amedotters!

Amethyst and Peridot soon approached the bonfire. Everyone was still right where they had left them, snuggled up on a log in front of the roaring flames roasting their confectionary treats. "Hey, yall! Save any of those for us?" Amethyst asked.  
"Nope! Got a whole bag of them right here for ya." Steven said. Amethyst and Peridot both walked to meet him, Connie, and the gems around the logs they were occupying.  
"So, how'd it go?" Greg whispered to Peridot giving her a slight nudge.  
"Oh! Quite well, actually. Amethyst fully reciprocated my feelings for her." Peridot replied in a hushed tone.  
"That's great, Peridot! I'm super happy for you, both of you!" Greg said.  
"Well, I have you to thank. Without your advice, I may not have been so successful."  
"Don't mention it, really, that's what friends are for. You know, It takes a lot to do something like that, not many people take a chance like you did tonight. Anyway, I'm proud of you." Greg said. He patted Peridot gently on the shoulder.   
Peridot smiled at the man. "Friends," she said. She felt the swelling of a tear in her right eye and quickly wiped it away.   
  
"Yo, Peri! You want in on this action or what? Me and Connie are building something." Amethyst asked.   
Peridot shuffled over the Amethyst who sat next to Steven and Connie. Her stick was stacked to the end with marshmallows.   
"Oh! Steven. May I talk to you for a moment?" Peridot asked.  
"Sure, dot. What is it?" he asked. He reached his hand into the nearest box of graham crackers to find one for his s'more.  
Peridot sat down on the log next to him. She fiddled with her fingers as she fought herself to force the words out the right way.  
"I just wanted to apologize to you for earlier tonight. I feel as though my ambitions got the best of me and my behavior reflected that. I know that this "Halloween" was very important to you and I just wanted to say thank you for including me in tonight's festivities. I appreciate it. Really."   
Steven's eyes lit up. He put a kind hand on top of Peridot's knee. "You're welcome, Peridot," he said.  "I'm really glad that you're here to celebrate it with us."   
Peridot smiled. "Me too." 

  
"Check it out, Steven! I call it 'the leaning tower of dessert'!" Connie exclaimed as she and Amethyst revealed their tower of s'mores. The tower was made out of three s'mores stacked on one another all held together by the sticky marshmallows in the center and the melted chocolate which dripped down the layers of graham cracker, covering the entire creation.

"WOW! Now that's what I call a sticky situation." Steven said. They all laughed, even Peridot, who didn't quite understand the joke. 

 "What about you Peridot, would you like a s'more?" Connie asked.  
"Some more of what?" Peridot asked.   
"No no, a _s'more_." Connie explained, pointing at the creation.   
"I don't have anything," Peridot said.  
"Oh, nevermind," Connie said.   
  
"Yo, Peri, can I get some time with the Stee man?" Amethyst asked.   
"Oh, sure!" Peridot said, scooting over towards Connie. "So, how did you construct this creation?" Peridot asked. Connie explained the process in detail as Steven and Amethyst began a dialogue.   
  
"Hey dude. So..I know Peri apologized to you and it got me thinking, I really need to do the same. I feel like this was your big day and I made it all about me and my feelings. I'm really sorry if I stressed you out. Feel free to yell at me." Amethyst said.   
"No no, Amethyst! I don't want to yell at you." Steven said.   
Amethyst furrowed her brow. "You aren't upset?" she asked.   
Steven shook his head. "No. Amethyst, I was just worried about you, we all were," he explained.   
"I'm sorry I made you all so worried."   
"Don't be sorry. We care about you!" Steven continued.   
Amethyst sighed. Her eyes looked out at the roaring fire still burning brightly in front of them. The heat radiated even in the logs that they sat upon.   
"I just got upset is all. I had to get away. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I'm sorry." Amethyst said. She closed her eyes, shielding them from the light of the flames.   
"No. Don't be sorry. You don't have to be sorry for how you feel. I just wish that you would have told me, that's all. Maybe I could have helped. Maybe it wouldn't have had to get so bad." Steven said.   
Amethyst's eyes opened, allowing a stream of tears to fall down.   
Steven noticed the tear drops on the ground, he turned to Amethyst. "I'll tell you next time, I promise," she said. She wiped the small stream from her eyes and sniffled.  
"That's all I ask." Steven said. "Amethyst, I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier but you said to start one question at a time."   
Amethyst turned her head to look at him. "What's your question?" she asked.   
"Are you okay? Now I mean?" he asked.   
Amethyst pondered the question for a moment. "You know, for the first time in a long time, I think so," she said, and for a first time in a long time, she was actually answering honestly.   
Steven embraced her in a hug.  
  
As the night drew longer, the fire drew dimmer and the guests soon began leaving the party. Pearl and Garnet began cleaning up while Greg loaded the empty party platters into his van. "See? I told you, lots of kids eats lots of food," he said to Pearl who grinned and rolled her eyes at him.   
"Looks like it's time for me to head home. Thank you so much for the party, Garnet, Pearl, Mr. Universe." Connie said.   
"It was our pleasure, Connie," Pearl said. "Always a joy to have you here," Garnet said.   
"Hey, do you by chance need a ride home?" Greg asked.   
Connie looked to Steven, who looked to Amethyst. "Amethyst was supposed to bring her home," Steven said.   
"I got this. Actually, I've been wanting to do this all night." Amethyst said.   
Everyone looked at her curiously as she prepared herself by stretching and cracking her knuckles.   
"What are you referring to?" Peridot asked.   
  
Her question was soon answered when Amethyst shapeshifted into a twenty foot tall Totoro.   
Connie gasped in adoration. "Oh my GOSH!" she squealed. "You almost made me drop my candy!"   
"That. is. AWESOME!' Steven screamed.   
Peridot quivered at the sight.   
"Who's ready for a ride?" Amethyst asked.   
Steven and Connie raised their hands up high. Amethyst picked them both up with just one of her hands, bringing them up to her shoulder to sit.   
"How about you, P?" Amethyst asked Peridot who was still taken aback by the gems new form.   
Peridot thought about it for a second. If there was one lesson that peridot took away from the events of tonight, it was that you have to take risks sometimes and take advantage of opportunities while they're presented to you. She could hardly ignore this opportunity now in front of her, as large and intimidating as it was.   
  
Amethyst reached her hand down and lifted Peridot up to her chest.   
"Everybody ready to go?" Amethyst asked. "Yeah! Let's go!" Connie said lifting a fist into the air. Steven nodded, mimicking Connie's gesture.   
Peridot gripped onto the fur of Amethysts chest for dear life.  
"Next stop, Mrs. Maheshwaran's!" Amethyst yelled.  
  
"Nice," Garnet said. She stood below them with Pearl at her side.  
Pearl nodded in agreement but a thought crossed her mind that she couldn't ignore. "Yes very impressive, but whatever happened to the costume that **I** made for you?" she asked.   
Amethyst looked around the field of the barn nervously. "Gotta go, don't wanna be late to bring Connie home!"   
"AMETHYST!?" Pearl squawked.    
  
"Be careful!" Greg yelled as he waved goodbye to his son and their friends.   
Steven looked behind him from Amethysts shoulder out at his father. He gleamed a smile out at his dad, thankful for the undying support he had given him throughout the night. With that, the four of them were on their way to the Maheswaran household. 

Amethyst started their adventure off by making strong leaps and bounds away from the barn. Her powerful movements shook Peridot as she clung to Amethyst's fur with her legs flailing in the air. Amethyst was jumping from tree to tree until, finally, she stood still. She stood perched on a tree that was tall enough that from Amethyst's shoulder, both Steven and Connie could see the entire layout of the suburbs of beach city.  "Look at the view from up here!" Connie shouted. Peridot's eyes were shut tight. "It's incredible!" shouted Steven, and it really was. From the height of the Amethyst's shoulder, each of the houses looked like miniature models. It reminded Connie of the ceramic snow covered townhouses that her mother displayed around the house during winter time.  
"You have to see this, Peridot!"  
Peridot peeked a single eye open just enough to see the twinkling lights of beach city below them. It was a sight, she thought. Although, nothing quite like looking down at planets from her spaceship, but a sight nonetheless. "Alright, enough sightseeing, let's get a move on!" Amethyst called, and Peridot had a fair chance to settle, they were off again.  

Despite how long it felt to Peridot, it only took the four of them a few more minutes until they reached the front door of the Maheswaran's.   
Amethyst leaned down and gently allowed Steven and Connie to slide down her shoulder and safely onto the front lawn. Peridot loosened her grip off of Amethyst's fur and slowly slid down to the ground, flopping slightly on her bottom.   
Amethyst shape shifted back to her original form.   
"That was so great, Amethyst! Thanks for the ride home." Connie said gleefully.   
Amethyst puffed her chest out proudly, a large grin surfaced on her face. "It was nothing." she beamed.   
"What did you think, Peridot?" Steven asked. Peridot's head was ringing and she slurred her words as she attempted to stand up.   
"It wasn't my favorite festivity of the night." she told them. "Do you do this every Halloween?" she asked nervously, her eyes struggling to look up at them.   
Amethyst, Steven, and Connie all erupted into fits of laughter. "No, no Peridot. Don't worry, this was a one time sort of deal." Amethyst explained.  
"Oh, thank goodness!" Peridot said relieved. They all reached out their hands to help her find her balance.   
  
Just as Peridot had found her footing, the front door of the Maheswaran household opened. It was Connie's mother, Mrs. Maheswaran.   
"Oh! There you are, right on time," she said as she approached the group the four of them.   
"Mom!" Connie shouted. She rushed over to her mother and threw her arms around her waist.   
Mrs. Maheswaran smiled down at her. "Did you have a good time?" she asked, hugging her daughter tightly.   
  
"It was great! We played games and danced, and Steven and his dad even performed one of Mrs. Universe's original songs for us!" Connie explained. She was bursting at the seams with excitement as she relayed the events of the party to her mother.  
"That sounds like quite the night." Mrs. Maheswaran said. Her eyes were wide, as was the smile across her face.  
Connie released her mother from their hug as Mrs. Maheswaran went to walk towards Amethyst. She had her hand stretched out for Amethyst to shake.  
"Thank you for bringing her home, Amethyst." she said.   
Amethyst walked forward and gripped her hand to shake it.   
  
"Really," Mrs. Maheswaran continued. "I owe appreciate it. You have no idea how difficult is has been for me to find someone responsible enough to trust my daughter with. I owe you one." she said.  
  
"You're welcome." Amethyst croaked, she blushed slightly as she shook the woman's hand. She quickly cleared her throat.   
"Don't worry about it. Connie is cool and she knows how to make a wicked leaning tower of s'mores." Amethyst said.   
  
Connie chuckled nervously in the background as she remembered that the rule for sweets in her home was strict moderation.   
Mrs. Maheswaran  peered behind her at her daughter. "Yes well, thank you, again," she said.   
Amethyst gave her a toothy grin.   
  
"Say goodbye to your friends, Connie. We've got to get inside and brush our teeth." Mrs. Maheswaran said.   
  
"Okay, mom!" Connie called out as her mother walked back inside the home.   
  
Amethyst peeled Peridot off of the sidewalk and managed to get a wave goodbye out of her as they said goodbye to Connie.   
  
"Thanks for inviting me, I had a lot of fun!" Connie told Steven.   
Steven grinned happily. "Of course! It wouldn't have been Halloween without you. Or any of us...I mean- you're welcome. I just hope that it wasn't you know too...intense." Steven said nervously.   
  
"Are you kidding me?" Connie laughed. "After everything that we've been through, I'd expect nothing less than intense on a night with tonight with you," Connie said.   
  
Steven snickered. He supposed that she had a point. "Still, I just wanted you to have a good time."   
"Well, I did," Connie said.   
"Good," Steven said.   
The two friends stood a bit awkwardly on the front lawn of Connie's house. Steven looked down at his toes, his slippers were a bit dirty from the bonfire. Connie's boots looked just a cool as they did at the beginning of the night.   
  
"Well, goodnight," Connie said. She gave Steven a quick hug and peck on the cheek. Steven's face became immediately red, as did Connie's but it was hidden when she turned away and ran into the house, shutting the door behind her.   
  
Steven stood frozen. He rubbed the side of his face that Connie's lip had touched. A feeling of fluttering filled his body. He smiled.   
  
Steven wasn't sure just how long he had been standing there in the grass, but it must have been notable as Amethyst had grown concerned.   
  
"Yo, Steevo! Are you okay? I'm convinced Peridot has turned into a liquid over here." Amethyst shouted.   
Steven snapped out of it. He hurried to Peridot and Amethyst. "Sorry about that, are we ready to go?" he asked.   
"Wowie, you're as red as a tomato! Are you sure you're okay?" Amethyst asked as she leaned forward to further examine his face. 

Steven covered his face with his hands. "I'm fine! What's wrong with Peridot?" he asked, trying to change the subject.   
"I don't think she can handle another joy ride," Amethyst said. Peridot looks like a limp noodle compared to her former self. Amethyst was all but carrying her now in an attempt to hold her up.   
  
"Maybe I should call my dad?" Steven asked.   
"Good idea," Amethyst replied.   
Steven reached for his phone but felt nothing. He felt around his waist for a pocket, but all that there was the padded fabric that filled his costume.   
"Uh, oh." he said. It turned out that in all of the planning that Pearl had done for Steven's costume, she hadn't thought to include pockets.   
"I must have left it at the temple." he said.   
Peridot let out a long tortured groan.   
  
"Let me think," Amethyst said. She shot around a few ideas in her head until she finally landed on a solid one.   
"Here, hold onto Peridot." she said. Steven held Peridot up with his arms as Amethyst began to stretch her limb just like before her previous transformation.   
  
Amethyst's entire silhouette began to glow. Her limbs began to grow even larger than before. Her form stretched in an illuminated misshapen form until she was the size of a bus. Only she wasn't a bus, her body was much more animalistic, and the features of her face were cat-like. Steven gasped suddenly. "A cat bus!" he screamed. The stars in his eyes began to sparkle.   
  
"All aboard!" Amethyst roared.   
  
A door soon formed on the side of Amethyst's torso.  There were windows all around the sides and back of her new form.   
  
Steven had to carry Peridot as she tried to wriggle her way out of his arms. Amethyst's new form seemed to intimidate her even more than the one that she had used to get the friends to Connie's house. Amethyst no longer had just two legs, but six. Her face was large, as was her body. Her eyes were almond shaped, just like a house cat, and she had long sharp whiskers which shot out of the sides of her cheeks.   
"It's just Amethyst!" Steven shouted as he fought to get Peridot onto the bus.   
Once on, they had a full view of the interior. The inside of the cat bus (or Amethyst rather)  was covered from floor to ceiling in lilac colored fur. There were also many fur coated seats as well. Steven and Peridot took a seat in the back.   
  
"I promise that this ride will be better," Amethyst said reassuringly.   
Peridot remained unconvinced as she nervously took a seat next to Steven.   
  
"Next stop, The Crystal Gem Temple!" Amethyst meowed.   
Amethyst's many legs carried the friends from the front of the Maheswaran house through the neighborhood.  
  
She tried her best to drive the three of them home as carefully as possible. Occasionally, she would warn them when they took a long jump or a sharp turn. The swift movements made Steven and Peridot bob up and down on the seats.   
"Don't tell Pearl that I drove you home without a seat belt," Amethyst yelled.  
   
Steven looked out the back bus window. "It's not so bad, is it?" he asked.   
Peridot had to keep herself from rolling her eyes.  
Although, she had to admit that the ride was going smoother than the last. She also couldn't seem to ignore the warmth and softness of the fur seat below her.   
It is Amethyst, after all. She told herself, although that made her feel a little strange.  
  
At long last, they had arrived home.   
Steven and Peridot deboarded the cat bus safe and sound. Amethyst soon shape shifted back into her original formed, exhausted from expanding herself for so long on their journey home. "Next time-" Amethyst panted. "-we walk." she panted.   
The three entered through the temple doors and found Garnet, Pearl, and Greg all sitting around the living room table. The table Was covered in the candy from Steven's Halloween pale.   
"We're home- HEY! What's the idea?" Steven asked as he hurried over to them.   
"Oh hello, Steven! We're just going through your candy to make sure that no humans poisoned it." Pearl explained.   
  
"Steven sat on the floor beside the table and joined them. "When can I eat some of it?" Steven asked.   
  
"Once we're finished," Greg replied.   
Steven groaned, collapsing onto the floor in surrender.   
  
"That reminds me!" Amethyst yelled as she spotted the small wicker basket on the kitchen counter. The candy inside of the basket had been Peridot's gift to Amethyst that night, partially because of Peridot's distaste for human food, and partially because Peridot just wanted to see Amethyst enjoy herself.   
Amethyst snatched it up and shoved a handful of the candy into her mouth.   
  
"Why doesn't Amethyst have to check if her candy is poisoned?" Steven asked.   
  
"You know why," Pearl said.   
  
"Amethyst eats my vans motor oil. I don't think there's much that can really throw her off." Greg said.   
  
Garnet sat stoically on the middle cushion of the couch.  She adjusted her glasses. "The candy is fine," she said.   
  
Steven jerked up. "Garnet!" Pearl shouted. "I really wanted to keep checking," she said sadly. Pearl crossed her arms.   
Steven on the other hand, rather overjoyed, had already begun unwrapping the nearest piece of candy from it's foil. He tossed it into his mouth happily.  
But something was wrong. Steven's face suddenly grimaced, his mouth contorted from a smile to an indiscernible expression.   
  
"Sour!!" Steven howled.   
Greg looked down sympathetically at his son but could not help but chuckle a bit.   
"That's what happens when you're impatient." Pearl huffed.   
  
Peridot and Amethyst stood together watching the whole debacle together. Amethyst was about to take another handful of candy from the basket when she felt a finger poke at her right arm. It was Peridot with a rather curious look on her face.   
  
"Amethyst, would you mind giving me a ride back to the barn?" she asked.   
  
"Oh shoot, I forgot that you live there now. I just took us all back to the temple out of habit," she said.   
Amethyst did not want to upset Peridot, but she barely had enough energy to lift her hands in and out of the basket of candy to feed herself.   
In short, there was no way that she would be able to take Peridot all the way to the barn. She felt awful at potentially disappointing her but then an interesting thought reared its head.   
  
"Hey, why don't you stay at the temple tonight?" Amethyst asked her.   
"Stay here? Like, in the bathroom?" Peridot asked, not amused.   
"No! I mean- not necessarily. You could stay here in the living room, or if you want maybe Steven would let you stay in his room?" Amethyst suggested.   
Peridot seemed to ponder the question.   
"Or you could stay in my room with me."   
Peridot's eyes grew wide as a noticeable blush surfaced on her face.   
  
"Would you be okay with that?" Peridot asked.   
Amethyst smiled. "Yeah, it would be fine. As long as you're comfortable with it," she said.   
"Of course!" Peridot blurted. Her face felt hot and she knew that the words had come out way louder than planned.  
"As long as it's not of any inconvenience," Peridot said.   
"Of course not!" Amethyst yelled.   
The two looked at one another and smiled nervously. Their bodies swayed as they stood looking one another. They seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that everyone in the living room had been staring at them.   
  
It wasn't until Peridot broke eye contact after hearing a distinct giggle from Steven that she looked their way. Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing but the suspicious looks on their faces made it clear that they had been ease dropping.  
_Ahem._ Peridot cleared her throat. "Amethyst," she whispered.   
"Oh!" Amethyst squealed. "Uh, Peridot is gonna stay the night tonight since I'm too tired to take her back to the barn."   
  
"Oh. That's fine!" Pearl said.   
Steven and Greg both nodded.   
Amethyst and Peridot began walking toward the door, stepping past the warp pad and the puzzled faces of their friends.   
"Alright. We're going. We'll see you all tomorrow!" Amethyst shouted, a bit too loud. Peridot tried to play it cool and nodded along.   
  
"Yes." Pearl nodded.   
"Have fun!" Steven said.   
Greg shot a look at Peridot. He smiled kindly. He could see how happy underneath her facade.   
Garnet tilted her glasses down slyly, giving Amethyst one her signature thumbs up and wink.   
  
The hairs on Amethysts body all stood up.   
"Goodbye!" she yelled. Peridot waved goodbye to everyone as the door lit up and they walked into Amethyst's room.   
  
As the door closed behind them, Pearl looked to Greg and Garnet. "Do either of you know what that's about?" she asked.   
  
Greg chuckled nervously. "Its a bit of a long story," Greg said.   
"Let's just say, that it's the start of something new," Garnet said simply.   
"Oh boy..." Pearl said in a concerned tone.   
Steven looked around at the faces his father, Garnet, and Pearl. He couldn't seem to catch onto whatever they were on about.   
"Well, can someone explain it to me? Because I'm lost." Steven said. He must have really missed something during the party, he thought to himself.   
They all smiled at him. Greg tussled his curly locks. "Maybe you should ask Amethyst tomorrow, buddo. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it."   
Steven sighed, discontented with the fact that no one seemed to want to weigh him in on the full story. Nevertheless, he found solace in his bucket of Halloween candy and he let Pearl double check that none of the candies were sour before he ate them, which she greatly appreciated. 

Meanwhile, Peridot and Amethyst spent the remainder of their night cuddled on a large mattress on the floor of Amethyst's room.   
Amethyst had given Peridot a brief tour of some of her favorite spots in her room before taking her to the place she truly loved most, aka the pile of queen sized mattresses that Amethyst dubbed the "comfort castle". Even Peridot found herself taken with the springiness of the castle, as well as the texture and softness of the fabric that adorned them. "This place is amazing!" Peridot exclaimed upon arriving.   
  
It was not long until they were picking the most comfortable spot to sit down on. Peridot had never been invited to sleep in anyone's room before. She had never slept at all, now that she thought about it. As Amethyst laid her head down on the mattress, Peridot found herself rather panicked. "Wait! You aren't going to leave me here, are you?" she asked Amethyst.  
  
Amethyst sat up, she patted the place next to her. Peridot scooted closer and sat down. "I would never leave you." Amethyst said. It had come out a bit more serious than she intended but it left Peridot feeling assured and rather flattered. She put an arm around Peridot and leaned in to kiss her once again. Peridot leaned in and planted a gentle peck on her lips.  
  
If Peridot had known at the beginning of the night that everything she would have to endure would have eventually lead up to that moment right then, there was not a doubt in her mind that she would have done it one thousand times over again. As long as she had Amethyst, everything felt safe.   
  
It was clear by the way that Amethyst kissed Peridot back that she felt the same.   
Amethyst knew deep down that tonight was only the beginning, not only for her recovery but with Peridot as well. She was so unbelievably grateful to have someone like Peridot with her, someone that made her feel so supported and wanted. Amethyst and Peridot drifted off to sleep in one another's arms. She couldn't wait for what was to come next.  Amethyst had celebrated many Halloween's before that night, but she knew that this Halloween was a night that she would never forget. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends.  
> I had so much fun making this fic. It has taken me so long to post the ending although I finished a majority of it months ago. Life has a way of catching up to you. Anyways. I sincerely hoped that all of you readers enjoy it and do not hesitate to leave me a comment if you did! Happy Halloween
> 
> If you're interested in keeping up with me/my writing/my art, you can follow me @ cartoonwitch.tumblr.com !


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